With just hours to go for the results of the Presidential elections, all eyes are on the candidates – Droupadi Murmu and Yashwant Sinha. The counting of votes to elect the new President began at 11 am on Thursday. As India gets ready to welcome a new President, an image of Droupadi Murmu, the candidate of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), from her college days has been doing the rounds on social media.
In the vintage black and white image, Droupadi Murmu is seen standing in the back row of a group photo in a saree. If elected, the 64-year-old will be the first tribal woman to become the President of India. Her victory will also make her the second woman to hold the highest office in India.
Born in Odisha's Mayurbhanj, Droupadi Murmu completed her graduation from Bhubaneswar's Ramadevi Women's College. Droupadi Murmu, who began her career as an educator, joined the BJP in 1997. The same year she was also elected as the councillor of the Rairangpur district.
By 2013, she had become the national executive member of the party's ST Morcha. She has also served as a minister in the Naveen Patnaik cabinet in Odisha when the Biju Janata Dal was in power with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Droupadi Murmu also served as the first woman Governor of Jharkhand. She took charge of the office in 2015.
The new President of India will take oath on July 25, the Election Commission has said.
