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NEW DELHI – About 5,000 Indian lawmakers on Thursday elected Draupadi Murmu, an indigenous tribal woman with humble roots, to be the country’s next president, marking a breakthrough for one of India’s marginalized minority groups.
The 64-year-old former governor of Jharkhand state was nominated by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which controlled enough seats in the federal and state legislatures to install its preferred presidential candidate. Murmu will be the first indigenous person and the second woman to serve as India’s head of state, a role that has limited powers compared to the powers of the prime minister, now held by Narendra Modi.
But in a democracy often driven by caste, religion and regional identities, Murmu’s elevation could reverberate far beyond his largely ceremonial post, particularly among India’s 100 million tribal people who have long been ‘have sat at the bottom of the country’s socio-economic ladder, and that they have Critics point out that a BJP has tried to broaden its appeal beyond its traditional base of upper-caste Hindus.
On Thursday, as Murmu won in a landslide, winning the votes of tribal legislators from opposition parties, BJP party offices in remote villages distributed portraits of their candidate and handed out sweets to tribal voters. Party leaders hailed the former school teacher’s rise as a testament to an “aspirational” India under his leadership. And on Twitter, the party’s official account posted photos of its tribal supporters holding mass prayers in forest clearings for Murmu, a member of the Santhal tribe.
Murmu “will be an outstanding president who will lead from the front and strengthen India’s development journey,” Modi said on Twitter.
Nalin Mehta, a political scientist and author of the book “The New BJP,” said the party in recent decades has expanded its reach to Hindus traditionally considered lower in the caste hierarchy and the indigenous tribal population. Tribal groups account for nearly 9 percent of India’s population.
This strategy has paid off. “Backward caste” Hindus and Dalits, formerly known as untouchables, have voted for the ruling party in growing numbers in every election since 2014, when Modi, a candidate from a lowly caste, came to power .
In 2017, the BJP chose Ram Nath Kovind, a Dalit born into poverty, to run for president. By installing Murmu as president, the BJP sought to further strengthen its grip on Indian politics by consolidating the indigenous vote, Mehta said.
“A tribal woman on Raisina Hill is very important,” Mehta said, referring to the lush estate in central Delhi that houses the presidential mansion. “The BJP is very focused on the tribal and women vote, which are key new support bases. Murmu combines both in her persona.
In November, Modi led celebrations for India’s first national day of tribal pride. The prime minister has also appointed eight members from tribal communities to his council of ministers.
Those of India’s indigenous population, also known as the Adivasi, or “original inhabitants,” have long lagged behind the rest of the country in literacy rates. Nearly half live below the poverty line, and the tribal communities that dot India’s eastern forests have for decades fought land grabs by state-backed developers.
As the vote approached this week, Murmu’s supporters pointed to his record of blocking legislation that would have made it easier to build on tribal land. But Dayamani Barla, a tribal activist in Jharkhand state, where Murmu served as governor from 2015 to 2021, was skeptical. Barla said he wanted to congratulate the new president, but noted that locals around Barla who protested against land seizures during Murmu’s tenure faced sedition charges, which were dropped only after the BJP lost power in the state.
“It’s one thing to be appointed to office, another to use it to serve the people of your community,” Barla said. “The tribes dance and sing today. Let’s see how long this dance and song lasts.”
Anant Gupta contributed to this report.