MUMBAI, 22 JULY, 2022 (GPN): NDA’s candidate and daughter of Odisha, Draupadi Murmu scripted history by winning the crucial Presidential election which had kept the entire world glued. Draupadi Murmu won the race to Raisina by defeating opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.

The ex-Jharkhand Governor and veteran politician from Odisha, Draupadi Murmu has become the 15th President of India.

64-year old Murmu is the first tribal President and the second woman after Pratibha Patil to hold the top office. The term of the incumbent President Ram Nath Kovind is scheduled to end on July 24. Draupadi Murmu is slated to be sworn in as the President of India on July 25, 2022.

After the counting of votes of MPs in the first round, Murmu had secured 540 votes with a value of 3,78,000 while Yashwant Sinha secured 208 votes with a value of 1,45,600, said PC Mody, Secretary General, Rajya Sabha.

After the second round of counting, Draupadi Murmu secured 809 out of total 1,138 votes. Yashwant Sinha got 329 votes. PC Mody, Secretary Gen, Rajya Sabha said that “Ballot paper of first 10 states were alphabetically counted. Total valid votes were 1138 with total value of 1,49,575. Out of this, Draupadi Murmu got 809 votes valued at 1,05,299 and Yashwant Sinha secured 329 votes valued at 44,276.”Murmu inched closure to victory after the third round of counting of votes. In the third round, the States which were covered included Karnataka, Kerala, MP, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha and Punjab. In this round, the total number of valid votes stood at 1,333. The total value of valid votes was 1,65,664. Out of which, Draupadi Murmu got 812 votes and Yashwant Sinha secured 521 votes.

The cumulative total after round 3: Total valid votes 3219 with total value of 8,38,839 of which Draupadi Murmu got 2161 votes of the value of 5,77,777. Yashwant Sinha secured 1058 votes of the value of 2,61,062Earlier, the voting was held on July 18 at the Parliament House and across all State Assemblies. As per official sources, 99% of the 4,796 MPs and MLAs cast their votes in the Presidential election.

As soon as Draupadi Murmu took a massive lead after the counting of votes in round 1, celebrations erupted at different parts including at her residence at Rairangpur in Odisha. Over 10,000 laddus were prepared to be distributed among the locals following the announcement of the results. Celebrations also erupted in Bhubaneswar after NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu took massive lead in Presidential election.

From dancing to exchanging sweets, the BJP party leaders and activists were filled with excitement as they came out in large numbers to celebrate Draupadi Murmu’s victory at party headquarters in Bhubaneswar as well as in Delhi.

BJP National Vice-President Baijayant Panda said, “There is tremoudous enthusiasm across India including in Assam. Draupadi Murmu has struggled and worked hard and spent long innings in public life. She has also created a superb image.”

Smt Draupadi Murmu symbolizes the indomitable Indian woman who overcomes many challenges of life. Hers has been a steady and long struggle against adversities and personal tragedies. She has overcome these hurdles and has made her life eventful. She has had experience of working in the state Secretariat; she has been a legislator for two terms, a Minister in Odisha and has been a successful Governor in a tribal dominated state.

Her resounding win makes a worthy member of the tribal community for the first time the President of the Indian Republic and the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. Social impact of this historic event would reflect in women empowerment process gaining momentum even in those societies where it has been modest. It would arrest the process of economic and social marginalisation of many tribal communities in remote parts of the country.

Nomination of Draupadi Murmu by the party in power as the presidential candidate was a political master stroke. Her credentials were so strong that she deserved to be a consensus candidate and should have been elected unopposed.

Smt. Draupadi Murmu brief Profile: A resident of tribal-dominated Uparbeda village under Kusumi Tehsil of Mayurbhanj district in Odisha, Murmu passed her matriculation from the Unit II Girl’s High School in 1974. She studied there for three years (Class 8, 9 & 10) before joining Rama Devi Women’s college for her higher studies.Following her graduation from Rama Devi College, she joined as a Junior Assistant in Irrigation and Power Department from 1979 to 1983 in the Odisha government. In 1994, she joined as a teacher at Sri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre, Rairangpur and continued serving at the institute till 1997. She joined the BJP in the same year.Murmu was elected as the councilor of the Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat. In 2000, she became the Chairperson of Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat and also served as the National Vice-President of BJP Scheduled Tribes Morcha.During the BJP and Biju Janata Dal coalition government in Odisha, Draupadi Murmu served at several posts as a Minister.Later, Draupadi Murmu took oath as the Governor of Jharkhand on May 18, 2015, and became the first woman Governor of Jharkhand.-Ends.