PM Modi hosted a dinner for outgoing President Ramnath Kovind on Friday. (Twitter/@narendramodi)Presidential Election 2022 Result Highlights: NDA Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu on Thursday scripted history by becoming the country’s first tribal President defeating Opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha. Murmu, former Governor of Jharkhand, trounced challenger and Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, securing 64.03 per cent of the total votes polled. When the counting of votes concluded, it was clear that Murmu’s spectacular win had also been helped by some cross-voting — proof of division and confusion in Opposition ranks.
The ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh on Friday claimed as many as 19 MLAs from the opposition camp voted in favour of President-elect Droupadi Murmu in the poll for the top constitutional post. Meanwhile, Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal has claimed that “resentment” against Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav got reflected in the presidential polls wherein Droupadi Murmu got more votes than the number NDA had in its kitty.
Murmu, 64, is the first Adivasi and second woman to become the nation’s First Citizen and the Supreme Commander of India’s Armed Forces. Murmu was elected to two terms in the Odisha Assembly in 2000 and 2004, and served as a Minister from 2000 to 2004 in Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s BJD-BJP coalition government. She was sworn in as the first woman Governor of Jharkhand in 2015.
Narendra Modi; Amit Shah; Manmohan Singh; Mamata Banerjee cast votes. (PTI and Express Photos)
On December 19, 1946, speaking at the Constituent Assembly, Adivasi leader Jaipal Munda called the new constitution “an opportunity for my people who have suffered for 6,000 years”.
Subsequently on January 24, 1947, he admonished the Advisory Committee tasked with preparing schemes for the administration of tribal areas, that it never occurred to those responsible for the selection of the committee to have a tribal woman on it. Today, almost 75 years after Munda stood amidst our founders and spoke, India will have its first Adivasi President in Droupadi Murmu. I have no doubt that Munda would have smiled broadly at what he would have considered a fitting but long overdue election. Adivasis or the “earliest inhabitants”, are the original indigenous people living in India.
Scheduled Tribes constitute over 8.6 per cent of the population – as per the 2011 Census, the ST population is 104 million. They are found predominantly in Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. President-elect Murmu is an inspired choice, given her identity as a Santhal woman. She is also a formidable and appropriate choice for President. She has a lifetime of experience in politics and in governance, having occupied positions as a legislator, minister, and governor.
Born in 1958, in the Uparbeda panchayat in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, she was the first woman in the area to go to college. She was elected twice to the Odisha Assembly in 2000 and 2009 and was also a minister in the coalition government formed by the BJP and BJD, led by Naveen Patnaik from 2000 to 2004. Subsequently, she was Governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021. Read more.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hosted dinner for outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind here with members of the Union Cabinet, chief ministers of various states and other dignitaries attending it.
President-elect Droupadi Murmu also attended the farewell dinner for Kovind whose term ends Monday. Official sources said the dinner had a good representation from all parts of the country, including many Padma awardees and tribal leaders.
A source said this dinner was "unique" as it did not have the usual Delhi-centric crowd and the emphasis was to make it more representative.
In a tweet, Modi said, "Hosted dinner in honour of President Kovind Ji. Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji, Venkaiah Ji, and other esteemed dignitaries, including ministers were present. We were also glad to welcome several grassroots level achievers, Padma awardees, tribal community leaders and others at the dinner." Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and members of the prime minister's Cabinet were present at the event. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also attended the dinner.
Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal has claimed that "resentment" against Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav got reflected in the presidential polls wherein Droupadi Murmu got more votes than the number NDA had in its kitty.
Jaiswal, who did not mention Yadav by name, accused the RJD leader of treating his supporters, especially those from his own caste, as "vassals". "Our effective strength in the assembly was 125, as one of our MLAs could not vote. Murmu was supported by 133 members. This is evidence of cross-voting on a substantial scale," Jaiswal said on Friday.
The BJP leader said this was because of resentment in the Opposition camp against their leader who considered all his supporters as "his own halwaha, charwaha" (vassals). In an apparent reference to Yadav's recent claim that Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai had once expressed the desire to join RJD, Jaiswal said, "He cannot brook any member of Yadav community making it on his own. Such Yadavs become the target of his smear campaign." Jaiswal, who is a Lok Sabha MP, also mocked Yadav for flaunting RJD's strength in the 243-strong assembly. (PTI)
There is disquiet within Madhya Pradesh Congress after NDA’s Presidential candidate Droupdi Murmu polled 146 votes from the state Assembly against the Opposition’s Yashwant Sinha who managed only 79 votes.
This comes despite the Congress having 96 MLAs in the House of 230. But with five votes being declared invalid, of the 225 remaining votes, Murmu secured 146, effectively meaning at least 19 MLAs cross-voted, including 11 from the Congress.
The ruling BJP has 127 MLAs, Congress has 96, while two belong to Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP), one to SP and four are Independents. Recently, one BSP, one SP and another Independent candidate had defected to the BJP, taking the party’s strength to 130 and had likely voted for Murmu. Read more.
There is much to celebrate in the election of Droupadi Murmu as the 15th President of India in the Amrit Mahotsav year of independence. In Murmu, the country not only has a Santhal tribal woman as the head of the state but also a leader from one of the country’s poorest regions. Her rise from the tribal lands of western Odisha to become the first citizen is a glowing tribute to the success of Indian democracy. Murmu brings with her rich experience in public life.
She is a well-educated woman from the family of a village headman. As a teacher and, later, as a people’s representative — first as a councillor in the local municipal body and subsequently as a legislator and minister in the Odisha government — Murmu had brought development to a relatively backward region. She had also won the best performing legislator award. Read more.
Leader of opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Friday claimed that several TMC MLAs and MPs voted in favour of President-elect Droupadi Murmu.
Of the 291 MLAs who voted, 216 were cast in favour of opposition presidential nominee Yashwant Sinha, while 71 votes were cast in favour of Murmu. Four votes were declared invalid.
"As promised by me all 70 @BJP4Bengal (BJP) MLAs voted in favour of Smt. Draupadi Murmu ji. While 1 @AITCofficial (TMC) MLA cross voted in favour of the President Elect, 4 TMC MLAs ensured that their votes were regarded invalid. 71 votes were polled in favour of Smt. Murmu ji in WB Assembly (sic)," Adhikari tweeted. --PTI
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday claimed that of the 22 opposition MLAs of the state, who voted for NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu in the presidential election defying their party line, 15-16 are from the Congress.
Altogether 124 MLAs of the 126-member assembly exercised their franchise in the presidential election on July 18, while two legislators from the AIUDF were outside the country.
Compared to the NDA's strength of 79 in the House, Murmu secured 104 votes, while joint opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha got 20. --PTI
The Election Commission on Friday issue a 'certificate of election' to NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu who has emerged victorious in the presidential poll.
The certificate is issued after the returning officer hands over the result to the poll panel. "CEC Shri Rajiv Kumar & EC Shri Anup Chandra Pandey jointly signed the 'Certification of the Election of Shrimati Droupadi Murmu as the next President of India' after ECI received the Return of Election & a Declaration of Result of election from the Returning Officer," the poll panel tweeted.
The certificate will now be sent to the Union Home Secretary, who will read it out at the oath-taking ceremony of the 15th President of India which is likely to take place at the historic Central Hall of Parliament House on July 25. (PTI)
Droupadi Murmu is the new President of India. She defeated the opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha in the election, the result of which was announced on Thursday (July 21).
Murmu, 64, is the first Adivasi and second woman to become the nation’s First Citizen and the Supreme Commander of India’s Armed Forces. Here are five things about the new incumbent of Rashtrapati Bhavan, who takes office in the historic 75th year of the nation’s Independence. Murmu has been a trailblazer from a very young age.
Born into a Santhal family in 1958, she was the first girl in Uparbeda, one of the seven revenue villages in Uparbeda panchayat in Odisha’s backward Mayurbhanj district, to go to college — the Ramadevi Women’s College, now the Ramadevi Women’s University in Bhubaneswar. Read more.
Congratulating President-elect Droupadi Murmu on her victory, Union Minister Anurag Thakur extended his gratitude to the members of the UPA who voted for her. "They rose above their party for the welfare of the country. Seeing a tribal woman rise to the highest post is a welcome sight," he told ANI.
Having a woman president is welcome, said Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday after NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu was elected the 15th President of India. "I hope she will respect the constitution and democracy as this is what has brought her to this post. We wish her time to be successful," he told ANI.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday congratulated Droupadi Murmu on her election as the President of India, and said his party expects her to uphold the constitutional values.
"We welcome her victory and are happy that a tribal woman has assumed the top post. We supported her candidature. We expect her to uphold and protect the constitutional values," Raut, who is the party's chief spokesman, told PTI.
Murmu, the candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), scripted history on Thursday by becoming India's first tribal president in the one-sided contest, defeating Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha. (PTI)
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday termed Droupadi Murmu’s victory as a “historic moment” and said the country is celebrating it like a festival. (ANI)
The Election Commission will on Friday issue a 'certificate of election' to NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu who has emerged victorious in the presidential poll.
The certificate is issued after the returning officer hands over the result to the poll panel. It will be signed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey. The certificate will then be sent to the Union Home Secretary who will read it out at the oath-taking ceremony of the 15th President of India which is likely to take place at the historic Central Hall of Parliament House on July 25.
The term of incumbent President Ram Nath Kovind ends on July 24. Droupadi Murmu scripted history on Thursday by becoming India's first tribal President in the one-sided contest, defeating Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha. Murmu, 64, won by an overwhelming margin against Sinha after receiving over 64 per cent valid votes in a day-long counting of ballots of MPs and MLAs, comprising the electoral college, to succeed Ram Nath Kovind to become the country's 15th president. (PTI)
There is much to celebrate in the election of Droupadi Murmu as the 15th President of India in the Amrit Mahotsav year of independence. In Murmu, the country not only has a Santhal tribal woman as the head of the state but also a leader from one of the country’s poorest regions.
Her rise from the tribal lands of western Odisha to become the first citizen is a glowing tribute to the success of Indian democracy. Murmu brings with her rich experience in public life. She is a well-educated woman from the family of a village headman. As a teacher and, later, as a people’s representative — first as a councillor in the local municipal body and subsequently as a legislator and minister in the Odisha government — Murmu had brought development to a relatively backward region. She had also won the best performing legislator award.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s knack for spotting people with unique credentials helped Murmu become the first woman governor of Jharkhand in 2015. Her tenure as the governor of an Opposition-led state was non-controversial, earning her the goodwill and support of the ruling party in the state, the JMM, in the presidential election. Read more.
As counting of votes in the Presidential election concluded Thursday, it became clear that NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu’s spectacular win had also been helped by some cross-voting.
It was also proof of the division and confusion in Opposition ranks over thwarting the first tribal woman’s bid to occupy the highest office in the country. The ruling BJP claimed that 17 MPs from the two Houses of Parliament and 126 MLAs from states defied respective party lines and voted for Murmu. Many regional parties, despite their political reservations against the BJP, had indicated their willingness to see Murmu in Rashtrapati Bhavan. She bagged 2824 of the total 4701 valid votes, leaving just 1877 votes for the Opposition’s Yashwant Sinha.
Murmu secured 64.03 per cent of the total valid votes, less than what outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind got in 2017 — 65.65 per cent of the total votes polled. But the divide and bitterness then was the Modi government was just three years into its first term. Read more.
Scripting history Thursday, NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu became the first tribal woman to be elected to the highest post in the country, its 15th President. Murmu, former Governor of Jharkhand, trounced challenger and Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, securing 64.03 per cent of the total votes polled.
The 64-year-old will be administered the Presidential oath of office by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana at a ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament on July 25.
Even before the results were officially announced, Sinha congratulated Murmu and hoped she would function as the “Custodian of the Constitution without fear or favour”. President Ram Nath Kovind greeted his successor. “Heartiest congratulations and best wishes to Smt. Droupadi Murmu on being elected as the 15th President of India,” he said in a Twitter post. Read more.
"There is much to celebrate in the election of Droupadi Murmu as the 15th President of India in the Amrit Mahotsav year of independence. In Murmu, the country not only has a Santhal tribal woman as the head of the state but also a leader from one of the country’s poorest regions. Her rise from the tribal lands of western Odisha to become the first citizen is a glowing tribute to the success of Indian democracy," writes Ram Madhav. Read the full piece here
"On behalf of the government and people of Nepal, I would like to extend warmest congratulations to Droupadi Murmu on being elected as the 15th President of India. I am confident that the excellent bilateral relations between Nepal and India will see newer heights in the days ahead," Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba said.
As NDA’S presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu emerged victorious on Thursday in the elections, crossing the halfway mark after the third round of counting, her opponent Yashwant Sinha, who was the joint Opposition candidate, congratulated her and hoped she would function as the custodian of the Constitution without fear or favour.
Sinha said his candidature had brought most Opposition parties on a common platform and hoped the Opposition unity would continue beyond the presidential election. “It must be equally evident in the election of the Vice-President,” he said on a day the Trinamool Congress decided to abstain from voting in the August 6 vice-presidential contest between NDA nominee Jagdeep Dhankar and opposition nominee Margaret Alva. Read more
Union Home Minister Amit Shah took to Twitter to congratulate Droupadi Murmu on her win. "Coming from a very common tribal family, NDA candidate Smt. Draupadi Murmu ji's election as the President of India is a moment of great pride for the whole country. I congratulate her," he wrote in Hindi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Droupadi Murmu and congratulates her on being elected as the new President of the country.
Droupadi Murmu is the new President of India. She defeated the opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha in the election, the result of which was announced on Thursday (July 21). Murmu, 64, is the first Adivasi and second woman to become the nation’s First Citizen and the Supreme Commander of India’s Armed Forces.
Here are five things about the new incumbent of Rashtrapati Bhavan, who takes office in the historic 75th year of the nation’s Independence. Read on...
Congratulating Droupadi Murmu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said he hoped that under her guidance, citizens will make a leading contribution in building a New India. "Hearty Congratulations to Smt. Draupadi Murmu ji on being elected as the President of India. Your role in giving voice to hopes & aspirations of people is exemplary. I hope under your able guidance, people of our country will make a leading contribution in building a New India," he tweeted.
"We have to feel very proud as a Republic that we have elected Smt. Draupadi Murmu as our President. I congratulate her on her resounding victory, and pray to God that she is given the strength to guide this great nation," former Prime Minister HD Devegowda said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too congratulated Droupadi Murmu on "being elected as the 15th President of India". "Congratulations and best wishes to Smt. Droupadi Murmu ji on being elected as the 15th President of India," he wrote Twitter.
PM Narendra Modi congratulates Droupadi Murmu on her victory in the Presidential polls. "India scripts history. At a time when 1.3 billion Indians are marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a daughter of India hailing from a tribal community born in a remote part of eastern India has been elected our President! Congratulations to Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji on this feat," he wrote after the NDA candidate crossed the halfway mark.
Soon after the third round of counting of votes in the Presidential polls validated Murmu's victory, Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, who was pitted against Droupadi Murmu congratulated her. "I join my fellow citizens in congratulating Smt Droupadi Murmu on her victory in the Presidential Election 2022. India hopes that as the 15th President of the Republic she functions as the Custodian of the Constitution without fear or favour," Sinha tweeted.
After 3rd round of counting, NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu crossed 50 per cent mark securing her win in the presidential battle against Opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha by a huge margin. Of the 3,219 valid votes counted so far, Murmu has bagged 2,161, while Sinha got 1,058.
Celebrations broke out in the tea gardens in Dooars area of north Bengal on Thursday in anticipation of Droupadi Murmu, the NDA presidential candidate, winning the presidential poll.
The tea plucker, mostly women from the santhal community to which Murmu belongs, lined up their baskets of tea leaves on the road in the tea gardens after their duty hours, sang and danced together to express their joy over the prospect of a tribal woman assuming the highest constitutional post in the country.
The labourers are paid by the tea garden authorities after they deposit their baskets of plucked leaves.
An overwhelming majority of the tea workers in the Dooars are tribals who had migrated from Chhota Nagpur, now in Jharkhand, about a century ago. --PTI
As the declaration of results of the presidential poll neared, the Brahma Kumaris on Thursday recalled the organisation's long association with Droupadi Murmu and how her life has been "full of difficulties".
Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya administrative head Dadi Ratan Mohini in a statement said Murmu's expected elevation to the post of President will further strengthen women empowerment.
Murmu has been associated with the spiritual organisation, headquartered at Abu Road in Rajasthan's Sirohi district, since 2009.
"Murmu's life has been full of difficulties. She was terribly broken when her eldest son died. After this, she went to our centre at Rairangpur in Odisha. At that time, she was in a state of deep depression. She used to cry a lot," B K Komal, a spokesperson of the organisation, told PTI.
"For almost two months, she was given special care. When she started doing the Rajyoga meditation, she started becoming normal. Regular practice led to a positive change in her life," he said. --PTI
After second round of counting, that included ballot papers from first 10 states -- alphabetically counted, NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is ahead of Opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha by a huge margin. Of the 1,886 valid votes counted so far, Murmu has bagged 1,349, while Sinha got 537.
After counting of the votes of first 10 states (alphabetically), NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is found to be leading in the second round too. Of the total 1,138 valid votes, Murmu got 809 while Sinha bagged 329 votes.
November 2016 marked a tumultuous period in Jharkhand. The Raghubar Das-led BJP government had passed amendments to two centuries-old land laws — the Chotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Acts — that would have ensured easy transfer of land for industrial use. As the amendments led to massive protests by tribal communities across the state and with close to 200 delegations calling on then Governor Droupadi Murmu, eight months later, in June 2017, she returned the laws asking the government to clarify how the amendments would benefit tribals.
A key Raj Bhavan staffer who was privy to the events around that time says Murmu mulled over at the laws at a close-door meeting, at the end of which she made up her mind to send them back, saying, “Mere kalam se koi injustice nahi hoga (I will not let any injustice happen).” Read more
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, some senior members of his Cabinet and BJP chief J P Nadda are likely to meet NDA presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu on Thursday evening following her expected victory in the poll.
Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal will also be meeting to congratulate her, sources said.
Modi is the Leader of the House in Lok Sabha. --PTI
NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is leading after the first round of votes were counted in the 2022 presidential polls on Thursday. Of the total 748 votes cast by MPs, Murmu received 540, while Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha received 208 votes.
The votes cast by MPs in the recently-held presidential polls are being counted, ANI reported. These will be followed by state votes.
With counting well underway at Parliament House, the residents of NDA presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu's village, Odisha's Rairangpur, have already begun celebrating her victory. Take a look.
Special prayers are being offered at the famed Chinnamastika temple at Rajrappa here, recognised as an ancient Shakti seat, on Thursday for the victory of Droupadi Murmu, the NDA presidential candidate who was Jharkhand's former governor.
Priests of the temple, which is located about 70 km from state capital on the confluence of Bhairavi and Damodar rivers, performed special 'aarti' for Murmu's victory. The counting of votes polled in the July 18 presidential poll is on in Parliament and Murmu is billed to be the winner.
"We held special prayers with aarti of the deity and sought blessings for Droupadi Murmu's victory for the top constitutional post. It is a matter of pride that the nation is going to get a tribal woman as its president," a senior priest of the temple, Shubhashis Panda told PTI.
Ajay Panda, another senior priest said he along with the others in Ramgarh believe that Murmu is set to become the first tribal president and will visit the temple after her win to get the blessings of the deity in whom she has a strong belief. This will give the Chinnamastika temple the much needed boost in religious tourism as Murmu will be the first president to visit it. (PTI)
Amid the counting of votes in the presidential polls, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said: "Not only tribals, but everyone in the country is going to have a sense of pride in having the 1st woman tribal President. I have learnt that all prominent tribal leaders will be coming to Delhi to greet the new likely to be President." (ANI)
Announcing Yashwant Sinha‘s induction into the BJP at a press conference in 1993, senior leader L K Advani had described it as a “Diwali gift” for the party.
The former bureaucrat has travelled a long distance since, as has the party which he joined and where he thrived for a long time. Nurtured by Advani, picked to head the prestigious Finance and External Affairs Ministries in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government of 1999 to 2004, Sinha who has reshaped his political profile since leaving the BJP under Narendra Modi has now emerged as the Opposition’s consensus candidate for the presidential elections.
Announcing his resignation from the Trinamool Congress Tuesday, Sinha tweeted: “I am grateful to Mamataji for the honour and prestige she bestowed on me in the TMC. Now a time has come when for a larger national cause I must step aside from the party to work for greater opposition unity. I am sure she approves of the step.” Read more.
The ballot boxes from across states were brought to Room Number 63 at the Parliament House, where the votes are being counted. Take a look at what it's like outside the strongroom.
On July 18, elected MLAs and MPs across the country will vote to elect India’s 15th President. Under Article 62(1) of the Constitution, “an election to fill a vacancy caused by the expiration of the term of office of President shall be completed before the expiration of the term”. President Ram Nath Kovind’s tenure ends on July 25.
A look at the process for electing the President, parties’ relative strengths currently, and how previous elections have played out.
What is the election process?
The President is elected by an electoral college consisting of MPs of both Houses of Parliament and MLAs of the states and Delhi and Puducherry. Nominated members of Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha and the Assemblies, and members of state Legislative Councils, are not part of the electoral college. We explain.
With the counting of votes beginning promptly at 11 am, we are one step closer to knowing who will be the next President of India. Going by the support extended by various parties, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Droupadi Murmu has a clear edge over Opposition’s Yashwant Sinha in this election. If elected, Murmu will become the first tribal woman to occupy the top constitutional post in the country.
November 2016 marked a tumultuous period in Jharkhand. The Raghubar Das-led BJP government had passed amendments to two centuries-old land laws — the Chotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Acts — that would have ensured easy transfer of land for industrial use.
As the amendments led to massive protests by tribal communities across the state and with close to 200 delegations calling on then Governor Droupadi Murmu, eight months later, in June 2017, she returned the laws asking the government to clarify how the amendments would benefit tribals.
A key Raj Bhavan staffer who was privy to the events around that time says Murmu mulled over at the laws at a close-door meeting, at the end of which she made up her mind to send them back, saying, “Mere kalam se koi injustice nahi hoga (I will not let any injustice happen).”
As she sat it out for more than a year after her tenure as Governor, many in the BJP and outside predicted the end of the road for Murmu, a two-time former BJP MLA. Sources point to this incident of 2017 to say that Murmu, 64, now the NDA’s presidential candidate, and her “kalam (pen)” could be one to watch out for as she is set for a near-certain win in the July 18 presidential elections against the Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha. A win would make Murmu India’s first tribal and second woman president. Read more.
Ahead of the counting of votes, NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu's brother said that he was hopeful his sister would become the country's next President. "There is an atmosphere of happiness here as we're hopeful that Droupadi Murmu will become the next President of India. It's a matter of pride for the tribal community, Odisha and the country," Tarinisen Tudu told ANI.
Parliamentarians and legislators across the country voted Monday to elect the next President and by the time voting concluded, there were enough indications that NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu was set for an emphatic win against Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
The Election Commission said: “As per reports being received, out of a total of 771 Members of Parliament entitled to vote (05 vacant) and similarly out of total 4025 Members of the Legislative Assemblies entitled to vote (06 vacant and 02 disqualified), over 99% cast their votes today. However, 100% voting by MLAs was reported from Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Puducherry, Sikkim and Tamil Nadu.”
India will soon know who will succeed Ram Nath Kovind to become the country’s 15th President, with the counting of votes for the recently-held Presidential election set to begin at 11 am on Thursday. Ballot boxes from all states have arrived at the Parliament House and poll officials are ready to begin counting in room number 63, the strong room of Parliament where the boxes are guarded behind round-the-clock security, PTI reported.
Follow this space for the latest.