Droupadi Murmu has been elected as the 15th President of India after she defeated opposition's Yashwant Sinha with an impressive margin. The first tribal president, Murmu will be the new resident of the Rashtrapati Bhavan after she takes the oath on July 25. She will be the first President to be born after Independence and the youngest to occupy the top post. She is also the second woman to become the President after Pratibha Patil.
Murmu, 64, won by an overwhelming margin against Sinha after receiving over 64 per cent valid votes in a day-long counting of ballots of MPs and MLAs, comprising the electoral college, to succeed Ram Nath Kovind to become the country's 15th president. Ever since the announcement was made, celebrations are going on among her supporters, who flooded social media with congratulatory messages.
A user wrote, "A Tribal Proud Hindu is our President, Congratulations India !! #DroupadiMurmu." Another wrote, "#DroupadiMurmu became the first tribal president of India and country's second female president. Congratulations Madam #DroupadiMurmu #PresidentialElections2022."
Data provided to India TV showed that 126 MLAs and 17 MPs from different assemblies cross-voted in the tribal leader Droupadi Murmu's support. Assam, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh assemblies witnessed a significant number of Opposition MLAs voting for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's candidate. ALSO READ: President Droupadi Murmu gets wishes from Kangana Ranaut, Tamannaah Bhatia & other celebs
Around 22 MLAs in Assam and 20 in Madhya Pradesh assemblies are likely to have cross-voted. Six opposition MLAs each from Bihar and Chhattisgarh, four from Goa and 10 from Gujarat may also have voted for Murmu.
