Droupadi Murmu, a tribal politician, has been elected as the new president of India.
The candidate of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the 64-year-old former teacher comes from Odisha (Orissa) state and has had a stint as a state governor.
Ms Murmu is the country’s first tribal leader in the top post.
The president in India is the head of the state, but does not exercise executive powers.
“India scripts history. At a time when 1.3 billion Indians are marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a daughter of India hailing from a tribal community born in a remote part of eastern India has been elected our President! Congratulations to Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji on this feat.” Indian PM Narendra Modi tweeted.
“India scripts history. At a time when 1.3 billion Indians are marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a daughter of India hailing from a tribal community born in a remote part of eastern India has been elected our President! Congratulations to Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji on this feat.” Sri Lankan Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa tweeted. (NewsWire)