SHILLONG, July 21: Droupadi Murmu has become the first tribal to break the glass ceiling for holding the highest office of the country. Her facile victory over Yashwant Sinha by 2824 to 1877 votes came to the tribals as third time lucky, as two tribal political big wigs — George Gilbert Swell (in 1992) and Purno Agitok Sangma (in 2012) — had failed to cross the line in their quest for the coveted Raisina Hills post.
Murmu’s victory against Sinha makes her not only the first tribal woman but also the youngest ever President of India.
In 1992, Swell was nominated as the joint opposition presidential candidate by the BJP and other parties with the Congress in power. Swell secured 346,485 votes against Congress candidate Shankar Dayal Sharma who polled 675,864 votes.
In 2012, Sangma contested the election against Congress heavyweight Pranab Mukherjee, who was the ruling candidate of the United Progressive Alliance-II. Sangma’s candidature was proposed by Biju Janata Dal and AIADMK and backed by the BJP.
Mukherjee, the overwhelming favourite, secured 7,13,763 votes and defeated Sangma who only polled 3,15,987 votes.
Interestingly, in all the three presidential elections featuring a tribal candidate, it was the BJP that had either nominated or supported the tribal nominee.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma was ecstatic after the announcement of the results on Thursday. He said his father (PA Sangma) would have been the proudest person if he was alive. “This brings satisfaction and joy to me. If my father PA Sangma, who laid the foundation of this thought (of having a tribal person as president of the country), would have been alive, he would have been the proudest man to see this day,” the CM said in a statement.
“It is indeed a great and historic moment in the history of this country where the President’s post is being held by a tribal woman,” he said.
Such an idea would have been ‘inconceivable’ a few years ago, Conrad added.
“The fact that this happened shows how great this nation is. I would like to thank all the people who voted for Murmu allowing her to become the next President of our country. I wish her the very best,” he said. (With agency inputs)
