JOURNEY SO FAR
DoB: June 20, 1958, in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district
Educational qualification: BA
CAREER
Junior assistant, state secretariat. Quit after a few years
Became a teacher when her own children started school
POLITICS
Joined the BJP and was elected a councillor in 1997
Two-time MLA (2000, 2004); handled multiple ministries
Won the best legislator award in 2007
2015-2021: Governor of Jharkhand
FAMILY
Father: Biranchi Narayan Tudu, farmer
Husband: Shyam Charan Murmu, was a bank employee (deceased)
Children: Daughter Itishree Murmu is a banker; a daughter and two sons died
Grandchild: Itishree has a two-year-old daughter with her husband, Ganesh Chandra Hembram, a sportsperson
Not everyone gets a birthday gift like Droupadi Murmu did. A day after she turned 64, BJP president J.P. Nadda announced that she would be the National Democratic Alliance's candidate for the post of president. She is set to occupy the country's top constitutional post, as a few nonNDA parties like the Biju Janata Dal have already offered her support. As the country's 15th president, she will have many firsts to her credit.
In Murmu, India will have its first president from the tribal community, which constitutes over eight per cent of the country's population. Like Narendra Modi, who was the first prime minister to be born after independence, Murmu will be the first president to be born in independent India. The symbolism is clear as she will take over as president in the 75th year of independence.
This story is from the July 03, 2022 edition of THE WEEK India.
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This story is from the July 03, 2022 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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