Droupadi Murmu to be first tribal & youngest Prez, if elected

New Delhi, June 21

Droupadi Murmu, once elected, will not only be the first tribal President and the first from the east, but will also be the youngest to hold the highest office. Murmu was born on June 20, 1958. All previous Presidents were born before the Independence. Hailing from a humble tribal family in Odisha, Murmu did graduation from Rama Devi Women’s College, Bhubaneswar.

She worked as a junior assistant in the Odisha Government’s Irrigation Department for four years, starting 1979. In 1997, she taught at a school in Rairangpur before being elected councillor in the area.

Murmu later represented Rairangpur in Odisha Assembly twice serving as Minister of State from 2000 to 2004 in the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government, which was supported by the BJP.

Murmu became the BJP’s ST Morcha Odisha chief in 2006. In 2013, she was appointed national executive member of the morcha, a post she held till 2015, when she was named the first woman Governor of Jharkhand. She has 25 years of active political career behind her.

Soft-spoken leader who rose through the ranks

• Considered a soft-spoken and affable leader who comes from Mayurbhanj, one of the most backward regions of Odisha, Murmu has held various positions in the party and rose through the ranks
• She was a minister in Odisha when BJP was in alliance with ruling Biju Janata Dal
• Her name was also doing the rounds in 2017 but Kovind then emerged as BJP pick

She will be a great President: Modi

She has devoted her life to serving society and empowering the poor, downtrodden as well as marginalised. She will be a great President. Narendra Modi, PM