In the light of the Presidential elections, the National Democratic Alliance has announced its candidate. To everyone’s shock, NDA’s nominee is not veteran leader Murli Manohar Joshi or Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. NDA has chosen Draupadi Murmu, a tribal leader and the ninth governor of Jharkhand, as their contender.
If victory remains hers, the nations will witness the first person from a tribal community to occupy President’s chair. It might be the nation’s first, but, Murmu has seen a lot of ‘firsts’ in her political career.
Her journey began as an elected councilor in Rairangpur district, Odisha, in 1997. Three years later, she got elected to the state assembly. Meanwhile, she headed the Department of Transport and Commerce and Fisheries and Animal Husbandry.
In 2007, Odisha Assembly gave her the Nilkantha Award for the best MLA. She served as the BJP district president for Mayurbhanj for seven years, from 2002-2009. Later, in 2013, she became the President of Mayurbhanj.
During that time, BJP appointed her as a national executive member of the BJP ST Morcha.
The newly chosen candidate for President opened up about her personal life in an interview. She mentioned the loss of her husband and two sons left her devasted. However, Murmu showed intentions of serving the people.
She became the first woman to hold the Governor’s office in Jharkhand. She took charge in May 2015 at the age of 59.
The country would witness the Presidential elections on July 18. Moreover, the EC will announce the results on July 21. The last date for filing the nomination is June 29, while the final date for withdrawal from a candidature is July 2. The newly elected President will take an oath on July 25.
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