The first member of one of India’s marginalized tribal clans to hold the office of president, Droupadi Murmu was sworn in as president on Monday. Members of India’s parliament and state assemblies chose the former teacher and state governor for the mostly ceremonial role last week with 64% of the vote.
Murmu, a member of the Santhal tribe and a native of eastern Odisha, visited the Mahatma Gandhi memorial in New Delhi before her inauguration to pay her respects. After taking the oath of office in parliament, Murmu, 64, remarked, “I started my life journey from a little tribal community. “Gaining even an elementary education was like a dream for me coming from the background I come from,” she continued.
As the first daughter in my family to go to college, I overcame many obstacles by staying strong. Due to the dominance of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its supporters in the parliament and state assemblies, Murmu’s victory was seen as a foregone conclusion. Prior to his 2024 reelection campaign, analysts predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would benefit from expanding his support base among the underprivileged tribal people.
