On Tuesday, 64-year-old Draupadi Murmu was announced as the Presidential candidate by the ruling National Democratic Alliance. She is the first tribal woman to be chosen as a contender for the top post.
Former governor of Jharkhand, Draupadi would be the second woman to occupy the post in India. Pratibha Patil was the first woman President of India, serving from 2007 to 2012.
Here are some highlights of her fascinating journey, as she rose from poverty to contend for the top-most post in the country.
- Draupadi belongs to the Santal tribe and hails from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj District
- She completed her BA from Ramadevi Women’s College in Bhubaneshwar
- She worked as a teacher without a salary before she entered politics in the 1990s
- Beginning as a councillor, she has served as Minister in the early 2000s in the coalition government – BJP-BJD
- She was the first woman and tribal leader from the State of Odisha to be appointed as governor of a state in the country
- She was the first governor to complete a term in the state
