Shattering the glass ceiling: What makes Droupadi Murmu NDA’s best bet

Born in a poor tribal family in the village of Mayurbhanj, Droupadi Murmu is the first woman tribal leader to file her nomination for the post of President. Her rise from a tribal leader to the governor of Jharkhand and now a presidential nominee serves as an inspiration to many young girls. If elected, she will become the first tribal President of India and the country’s second female President.

Since her childhood, Murmu has been shattering several glass ceilings and converting her challenges into opportunities. Hailing from a backward district in Odisha, Mrumu completed her studies despite challenging circumstances. She taught at Shri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre, Rairangpur and pursued BA at Ramadevi Women’s College Bhubaneswar. She ventured into politics as the vice-chairman of the Rairangpur NAC and was a member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly from Rairangpur between 2000 and 2004. As a minister, she held various challenging portfolios, including Transport and Commerce, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries. Prior to this, she had served as a junior assistant in the irrigation and power department.  In 1997, Murmu was vice president of state ST morcha and served as the chief of BJP’s ST morcha between 2006 and 2009. Post which, she served as the national executive member of BJP’s ST morcha from 2013 to 2015. She was also the BJP district chief of Mayurbhanj (West) in 2010 and 2013.  She served as Jharkhand Governor from 2015 to 2021. With the countdown kickstarting for presidential polls on July 18, it will be worth a watch if NDA manages to hit the bull’s eye with another masterstroke after Ram Nath Kovind, who became the first Dalit president of the country.