Lawmakers chose India’s first female president from among the country’s tribal communities on Thursday, which could increase the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party among marginalized groups ahead of the 2024 general election.
Draupadi Murmu, a 64-year-old teacher turned politician, will be the second woman to hold the largely ceremonial post as head of the republic when she takes office on July 25, at the start of a five-year term.
More than 4.5 state and federal lawmakers voted in the presidential election on Monday and the ballots were counted on Thursday. Murmu’s victory was assured because she was supported by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which dominates federal and state politics.
“A daughter of India from a tribal community born in a remote part of eastern India has been elected our president!” Modi said on Twitter.
Born into a family of the Santhal tribe in the state of Odisha, Murmu began her career as a teacher and actively participated in community affairs.
She later joined mainstream politics and served as a state legislator for the BJP in Odisha before becoming governor of the eastern state of Jharkhand.
His election is seen as the BJP’s outreach to India’s tribal communities, which comprise more than 8% of its 1.4 billion people.
“The BJP will want to offset any anti-incumbency from the last 10 years in 2024, and one of the ways to do that is to seek a new vote base,” political columnist Neerja Choudhary told Reuters.
Murmu beat opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, a former BJP finance minister and now a fierce critic of Modi, winning nearly twice as many votes.
The Indian President serves as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, but the Prime Minister holds executive powers. Murmu will replace Ram Nath Kovind.
The president, however, plays a key role in political crises, such as when a general election is inconclusive, in deciding which party is in the best position to form a government.
Source: CNN Brasil
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