Highlights
- Droupadi Murmu took oath as the 15th President of India on Monday.
- Chief Justice of India NV Ramana administered the oath to her.
- She defeated opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha.
Droupadi Murmu news: Droupadi Murmu took oath as the 15th President of India on Monday, and the oath was administered to her by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana in the Central Hall of Parliament. She defeated opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha to become the first tribal and the second woman to hold the top constitutional post.
On July 22, the NDA's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu was officially declared as the 15th President of the country after the conclusion of the counting of votes. Murmu received 2,824 votes with a value of 6,76,803 while her opponent Sinha secured 1,877 votes with a value of 3,80,177.
Who all were present during Murmu's swearing-in?
Murmu was escorted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha M Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to the Central Hall. Outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind also accompanied her.
Members of the Council of Ministers, Governors, Chief Ministers, heads of diplomatic missions, Members of Parliament and principal civil and military officers of the government were also present at the swearing-in ceremony.
Droupadi Murmu, first tribal woman to hold President post
Born in a Santali tribal family on June 30, 1958, in Uparbeda village coming under Mayurbhanj district in Odisha, she had her education from Bhubaneswar and went on to work first as a junior assistant in the State Irrigation and Power Department from 1979 to 1983. After this short stint as a clerk, she became a teacher at Sri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre at Rairangpur till 1997.
Murmu commenced her journey in the field of politics in 1997 by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She was first elected as the councillor of the Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat and then went on to become the chairperson of the same panchayat in 2000. Later, she also served as the national vice president of the BJP Scheduled Tribe Morcha.
Murmu devoted her life to serving society, empowering poor, downtrodden and marginalized sections of society. She has rich administrative experience and an outstanding gubernatorial tenure in Jharkhand. Murmu has made a special identity in public life by spreading awareness about education in tribal society and serving the public for a long time as a public representative.
Duties of the President
According to article 60 of the constitution, the primary duty of the President of India is to uphold, defend, and preserve the Indian constitution and the law. The president appoints the Chief Justice of India and other judges on the advice of the chief justice.
The President of India is elected by the elected representatives of the parliament and the state legislature. The electoral college elects the President of India and the representation of its members is proportionate. The term of the President of India is of 5 years and no law can be implemented in India without the President's signature.
