Droupadi Murmu overcomes triple tragedy to emerge as President candidate

BHUBANESWAR: Droupadi Murmu may become the first Odisha native to occupy the high office of President of India after the NDA announced her as its nominee on Tuesday.
Born in a Santal tribal family at Uparbeda village in Kusumi block of remote Mayurbhanj district, Mumru worked as a teacher before starting her political career as a councillor in 1997.
An alumnus of Rama Devi Women's College, which is now a university in Bhubaneswar, the 64-year-old holds Bachelor of Arts degree.
Murmu served as governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021. A two-time former BJP MLA representing Rairangpur assembly seat in Odisha, she was a minister of state in Naveen Patnaik's council in the BJP-BJD coalition government from 2000 to 2004.
She held the portfolios of commerce and transport from 2000 to 2002 and fisheries and animal resources development from 2002 to 2004 in Naveen's council.
She had bagged the 'best legislator' award in 2007 (Nilakantha Sanman).
Murmu's life was troubled with multiple personal tragedies. While one of her sons died under mysterious circumstances in 2009 the other died in a road mishap in 2012. Her husband, Shyam Charan Murmu had died of cardiac arrest earlier. She has a daughter, who is married and settled in Bhubaneswar.
The speculation over the tribal woman leader's ascension had been doing the rounds for past few days as was before the 2017 presidential election. Political insiders said several factors worked in her favour. By picking a tribal woman, the Narendra Modi dispensation aspires to consolidate the tribal vote base in the entire country and boost Modi's eastern India focus.
With Murmu being the NDA pick, the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD in Odisha will find it difficult to oppose her. Naveen, who is currently in Italy, congratulated Murmu though not announced his party support yet.
"Congratulations Smt #DraupadiMurmu on being announced as candidate of NDA for the country's highest office. I was delighted when Hon'ble PM @narendramodi ji discussed this with me. It is indeed a proud moment for people of #Odisha," Naveen tweeted.
"I am sure Smt Murmu will set a shining example for women empowerment in the country," he wrote in another tweet. Sources said Murmu's name was already conveyed to Naveen by the Central leadership and had BJD's approval for it some days ago.
Murmu enjoys a personal rapport with Naveen. Days after her selection as Jharkhand governor in 2015, she had gone to meet Naveen at his residence. It had raised many eyebrows then. The Congress had then termed it lowering the dignity of the position of governor, Murmu on her part had described it as a courtesy call.
The BJD with 21 MPs-12 Lok Sabha members and nine Rajya Sabha-and 114 MLAs has more than 31,000 votes in the electoral college of MPs and MLAs, which the NDA may need for a smooth win of its presidential candidate.
Among former presidents, only VV Giri (1969-1974) had a Odisha connection. He was born in Berhampur though in a Telugu speaking family from Andhra Pradesh.