Droupadi Murmu is the current President of India, serving as the 15th president since 2022. She is the first person belonging to the tribal community and also the second woman after Pratibha Patil to hold the office. She is also the first president to have been born in independent India as well as the youngest person to occupy the post.
India’s Youngest and First Tribal Woman President
Murmu was born on June 20, 1958, in Uparbeda village in the Baidaposi area of Rairangpur, Odisha. Her father Biranchi Narayan Tudu was a farmer. Her father and grandfather were traditional heads (designated Sarpanch) of the village council (Gram Panchayat). Her family named her Puti Tudu. She was renamed by her school teacher to Droupadi, and her name was changed several times to those including Durpadi and Dorpdi in the past. Murmu studied elementary education at the local primary school in Upar Beda. At age five, she moved to Bhubaneswar for higher studies.
Murmu completed her BA degree from Ramadevi Women’s University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. After graduation, she worked as a teacher in Rairangpur. She then entered politics and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1997.
Murmu held various positions in the BJP, including district president of the Scheduled Tribe Morcha and national vice-president of the Scheduled Tribe Morcha. She was also elected as a councillor in the Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat in 1997 and 2002. In 2000, she was elected as an MLA from Rairangpur constituency. She served as a minister in the BJP-BJD coalition government in Odisha from 2000 to 2004.
In 2015, Murmu was appointed as the Governor of Jharkhand, becoming the first tribal woman to be appointed as a governor in India. She served as Governor of Jharkhand till 2021.
In 2022, Murmu was nominated by the BJP as its candidate for the 2022 Indian presidential election. She won the election by defeating the opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha. She was sworn in as the 15th President of India on July 25, 2022.
Murmu’s election as President of India is a historic moment for the country. It is a sign of progress and inclusivity that a tribal woman has been elected to the highest office in the country. Murmu is an inspiration to all Indians, and her story is a reminder that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.
