The BJP parliamentary board on Tuesday named Draupadi Murmu, a tribal leader of the party from Odisha, as the ruling NDA's candidate for the Presidential election.
BJP president J P Nadda announced her name at a press conference following a meeting of the party top brass.
Murmu, a former Jharkhand governor, will be the first tribal woman to occupy the top constitutional post if she is elected, a strong possibility as numbers are stacked in the favour of the BJP-led NDA.
Murmu served as the Governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021. Born on June 20, 1958, she hails from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district and comes from a tribal community. The 64-year-old started out as a teacher and then entered into Odisha politics.
She became MLA twice on a BJP ticket from Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj (2000 and 2009). She started her political career as a councillor, later becoming the Vice-Chairperson of the Rairangpur National Advisory Council (NAC).
The Opposition had earlier announced Yashwant Sinha as its joint candidate for the post. The Presidential poll is slated for July 18.
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