Droupadi Murmu, a 64-year-old teacher turned politician, will be the second woman to fill the largely ceremonial role as head of the republic when she takes office on July 25 at the start of a five-year term.
More than 4,500 state and federal lawmakers voted in the presidential election on Monday and ballots were counted on Thursday. Murmu’s victory was assured as he was backed by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which dominates federal and state politics.
“A daughter of India from a tribal community born in a remote part of eastern India has been elected president!” Modi said on Twitter.
Born in a family of the Santhal tribe in the state of Odisha, Murmu started her career as a school teacher and was actively involved in community issues.
She later joined mainstream politics and served as a BJP state legislator in Odisha before becoming the governor of the eastern state of Jharkhand.
His election is seen as the BJP’s outreach to India’s tribal communities, which make up more than 8% of its 1.4 billion people.
“The BJP will want to make up for any anti-incumbency of the last 10 years in 2024, and one of the ways to do that is to look for a new vote base,” political columnist Neerja Choudhary told Reuters.
Murmu beat opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, a former BJP finance minister and now a fierce critic of Modi, winning almost twice as many votes.
The Indian President acts as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, but the Prime Minister has executive powers. Murmu will take over from Ram Nath Kovind.
The president, however, plays a key role during political crises, such as when general elections are inconclusive, in deciding which party is best placed to form a government.