Droupadi Murmu (born Durgi Biranchi Tudu on June 20, 1958) is an Indian politician currently serving as the President of India since 2022. Representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), she won the 2022 presidential election, becoming the first tribal leader and the second woman, after Pratibha Patil, to hold the nation’s highest office. At 64, she also became the youngest individual to assume the presidency and the first born in independent India.

President of India
Assumed office 25 July 2022
Prime Minister	Narendra Modi
Vice President	Venkaiah Naidu Jagdeep Dhankhar
Preceded by	Ram Nath Kovind
Governor of Jharkhand
In office 18 May 2015 – 12 July 2021
Chief Ministers	Raghubar Das Hemant Soren
Preceded by	Syed Ahmed
Succeeded by	Ramesh Bais
Minister of State of Odisha
Independent Charge
In office 6 August 2002 – 16 May 2004
Chief Minister	Naveen Patnaik
Ministry	Fisheries and Animal Resources Development
In office 6 March 2000 – 6 August 2002
Chief Minister	Naveen Patnaik
Ministry	Commerce and Transport
Personal details
Born	Durgi Biranchi Tudu 20 June 1958 (age 66) Uparbeda, Mayurbhanj, Odisha, India
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouse	Shyam Charan Murmu ​ ​ (m. 1980; died 2014)​
Children	3
Residence	Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi
Alma mater	Utkal University (BA)
Occupation	Politician, President of India
Profession	Teacher
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Before her presidency, Murmu was the Governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021, making her the longest-serving governor in the state's history. She also represented the Rairangpur Assembly constituency in the Odisha Legislative Assembly from 2000 to 2009 and served as Minister of State (Independent Charge) in Odisha’s government from 2000 to 2004. Prior to her political career, she worked as a clerk in the State Irrigation and Power Department (1979–1983) and later as a teacher in Rairangpur (1994–1997).

Personal Life

On June 20, 1958, Droupadi Murmu was born into a Santali family in Uparbeda village, which is in the Baidaposi neighborhood of Rairangpur, Odisha. Her grandfather and father, Biranchi Narayan Tudu, were both farmers who held the position of Sarpanch, the traditional village head of the Gram Panchayat. She was lovingly referred to as "Batti," which eventually evolved into "Puti," and was originally named Durgi Tudu after her paternal grandmother. She was later renamed Droupadi by her school teacher, and her name changed several times over the years, including Durpadi and Dorpdi.Prior to becoming president, Murmu served as Jharkhand's longest-serving governor from 2015 to 2021. Additionally, she served as Minister of State and represented the Rairangpur Assembly constituency in the Odisha Legislative Assembly from 2000 to 2009.

At a nearby primary school in Uparbeda, Murmu started her elementary schooling. She relocated to Bhubaneswar for additional education when she was five years old. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree from Rama Devi Women's College after completing her secondary education at Girl's High School Unit-2.

She wed the banker Shyam Charan Murmu (April 1, 1958 – August 1, 2014) in 1980. The couple had two sons and a daughter, Itishree Murmu. She suffered severe personal losses between 2009 and 2015, losing her mother, a brother, her husband, and both of her sons—Sipun in a car accident and Laxman in an unexplained incident—in a span of seven years.

Murmu, a devout member of the Brahma Kumaris spiritual movement, has shown great respect for Mahatma Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar. He also holds Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, in high regard.

Early Career

Droupadi Murmu served as a junior assistant in the Government of Odisha's Irrigation Department from 1979 to 1983. She later taught geography, math, Hindi, and Odia at the Sri Aurobindo Integral Education and Research Centre in Rairangpur from 1994 to 1997. Notably, she never claimed to have been paid in full for her work at the school.

Political Career

In 1997, Droupadi Murmu made her political debut after winning a seat on the Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat council. She joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after winning the seat as an independent candidate from a women's reserved constituency.

She won the Rairangpur Assembly seat in the 2000 Odisha Legislative Assembly election, and she was elected to two consecutive terms from 2000 to 2009. She served as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Transportation from March 6, 2000, to August 6, 2002, and then as the Minister of Fisheries and Animal Resources Development from August 6, 2002, to May 16, 2004 during the BJP-Biju Janata Dal (BJD) coalition government in Odisha.

In 2007, the Odisha Legislative Assembly presented Murmu with the Nilkanth Award for Best MLA in recognition of her contributions. But after the BJP-BJD alliance broke up, she lost the Mayurbhanj seat in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. She proceeded with her political career, serving as district president until 2015 and winning a seat on the BJP National Executive (ST Morcha) in 2013.

Governor of Jharkhand (2015–2021)

On May 18, 2015, Droupadi Murmu took the oath of office as the first female governor of Jharkhand. During her six years in this position, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dominated the Jharkhand government and maintained its hold on central government.

She gave Hemant Soren the oath of office as Jharkhand's chief minister in 2019. She was the state's longest-serving governor, holding the office from May 2015 to July 2021.

Pathalgadi Movement

The Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act of 1908 and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act of 1949 were proposed to be amended by the Raghubar Das-led Jharkhand government between 2016 and 2017. Historically, these laws have protected tribal land rights by limiting land transactions to tribal communities alone. Allowing tribal members to lease their land to the government for business purposes was the goal of the proposed amendments. In November 2016, the amendments were approved by the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly and forwarded to Governor Droupadi Murmu for her signature.

Tribal communities fiercely opposed the proposed changes, sparking mass demonstrations under the Pathalgadi movement. There were protests against the amendments, and in one case, tensions increased when demonstrators kidnapped BJP MP Karia Munda's security guards. A tribal protester was killed as a result of the police's brutal crackdown. More than 200 people were also charged with crimes, including tribal rights advocate Stan Swamy.

Murmu came under fire for failing to speak out more forcefully against police brutality during the demonstrations. Aloka Kujur and other activists had anticipated that she would adamantly defend tribal rights, but instead she urged the Pathalgadi leaders to have faith in the Constitution. Murmu received 192 memorandums opposing the amendments in spite of the criticism.

Hemant Soren, the opposition leader at the time, accused the BJP government of trying to advance corporate interests by acquiring tribal land, which further heightened political opposition to the bill. The amendments were fiercely opposed by a number of parties, including the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM), Indian National Congress (INC), and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Murmu refused to give her assent on May 24, 2017, and she sent the bill and the gathered memorandums back to the state government. In August 2017, the proposed amendments were finally withdrawn.

Religion and Land Bill

The Freedom of Religion Bill, 2017 and an amendment to the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 were two important bills that the Jharkhand Assembly passed and that Droupadi Murmu approved in 2017.

Freedom of Religion Bill, 2017

This law made forced religious conversions illegal and punished coercion or inducement to convert with a maximum three-year prison sentence. The penalty was raised to four years if the person who was coerced was a woman, a minor, or a member of a Scheduled Caste or Tribe. Furthermore, penalties might be applied in every situation. Additionally, the bill required voluntary converts to notify the Deputy Commissioner of their conversion and provide specifics about the circumstances.

Land Acquisition Act Amendments

Tribal landowners' compensation requirements and timeline were altered by the 2013 amendments to the Land Acquisition Act. Financial compensation for government land acquisition must be given within six months, according to the amended law. Additionally, the land acquisition process was streamlined by waiving the need for social impact assessments for specific infrastructure projects.

Presidential Campaign

Droupadi Murmu was the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) nominee for the 2022 Indian presidential election, as announced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in June 2022. Yashwant Sinha was the joint candidate of the opposition parties.

Murmu traversed several states during her campaign to garner support for her cause. Prior to the election, she received support from a number of opposition parties, including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Shiv Sena (SHS), and Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)].

Murmu received 676,803 electoral votes, or 64.03% of the total, and won the presidential election on July 21, 2022, with a resounding majority. She became the 15th President of India after defeating Yashwant Sinha in 21 of the 28 states, including Puducherry, a union territory.

Presidency (2022–Present)

Oath and Historic Firsts

Droupadi Murmu took the oath of office as India's fifteenth president on July 26, 2022. In front of former presidents, the vice president, the prime minister, and other dignitaries, N. V. Ramana, the 48th Chief Justice of India, administered the oath of office.

As the first member of India's officially recognized tribal communities to hold the office of president, Murmu created history. In addition, she is the youngest individual and the first president to be born in India following its independence in 1947. She is also Pratibha Patil's second female successor.

Key Initiatives and Public Engagements

On the eve of India's 75th Independence Day, August 14, 2022, she gave her first speech to the country as president.

The Pradhanmantri TB Mukht Bharat initiative, a government program to eradicate tuberculosis in India, was started by Murmu in September 2022. Additionally, she was the first Indian president to officially launch Karnataka's ten-day state festival, Mysuru Dasara. She traveled to Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim, among other northeastern states, to take part in various development projects during her first few months in office.

Murmu made her first trip to her home state of Odisha after taking office in November 2022. She visited her alma mater, spoke with schoolchildren, walked two kilometers to pray at the Puri Jagannath Temple, and took part in the launch of several government programs

Historic Flight in a Fighter Jet

Her historic flight in a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft at Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam in April 2023 made her the third president of India to do so. The Himalayan ranges and the valleys of Brahmaputra and Tezpur were traversed during the 30-minute flight. The experience was "exhilarating," according to Murmu.

Parliament Inauguration Controversy

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the New Parliament House as part of the Central Vista Project in May 2023, controversy broke out. The opposition parties boycotted the event after demanding that Murmu preside over the ceremony as the constitutional head of state. Murmu later retorted that she was proud and extremely happy with the inauguration and that the prime minister represents Parliament's trust.

Advocacy Against Crimes Against Women

In 2024, Murmu said, "Enough is enough," in response to the rape and murder in Kolkata. She called for swift action to guarantee safety and justice and vehemently denounced the nation's growing rate of violence against women.

Electoral Performance

Odisha Legislative Assembly Elections

Election of the Rairangpur Assembly in 2000

25,110 votes (34.15%) for the BJP (Droupadi Murmu) ✅ INC INC (Laxman Majhi) gives the BJP 20,542 votes (27.93%).
10,485 votes (14.26%) for JMM (Braja Mohan Hansdah)
4,568 votes, or 6.21%, constitute the majority.
74,997 voters (59.81%) cast ballots.

2004 Election of the Rairangpur Assembly

29,295 votes (32.66%) for the BJP (Droupadi Murmu) ✅ With 29,253 votes (32.62%), the BJP defeats JMM (Ram Chandra Murmu).
INC (Laxman Majhi) received 22,551 votes, or 25.14 percent.
42 votes (0.05%) is the majority.
89,689 (68.3%) people cast ballots.

2014 Assembly Election in Rairangpur

51,062 votes (32.72%) for BJD (Saiba Sushil Kumar Hansdah) ✅ BJD benefits from INC
44,679 votes (22.76%) for the BJP (Droupadi Murmu)
Purna Chandra Marndi's JMM received 28,838 votes (18.48%).
19,075 votes (12.22%) for INC (Shyam Charan Hansdah).
15,556 votes (9.96%) was the majority.
156,035 (74.22%) people cast ballots.

2009 Indian General Election – Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha Constituency

Laxman Tudu's BJD received 256,648 votes (31.08%). ✅ Gain for BJD from JMM JMM (Sudam Marndi): 190,470 votes, or 23.06 percent
150,827 votes (18.26%) for the BJP (Droupadi Murmu)
140,770 votes (17.04%) for INC (Laxman Majhi).
66,178 votes, or 8.02%, constitute the majority.
824,754 voters (70.27%) cast ballots.

2022 Indian Presidential Election

676,803 Electoral College votes (64.03%) went to Droupadi Murmu (NDA). ✅ Yashwant Sinha, the United Opposition's candidate for president, received 380,177 Electoral College votes, or 35.97%.
1,056,980 votes (98.89%) were valid.
15,397 (1.11%) votes were invalid or blank.
1,086,431 (98.86%) registered voters out of 1,072,377 total votes cast.

Awards and Honors

Grand Order Chain, Honorary Order of the Yellow Star, Suriname 🇸🇷 (June 5, 2023)
Order of Fiji, Companion (August 6, 2024) 🌫🇯
Grand Collar, Order of Timor-Leste, East Timor 🇹🇱 (August 10, 2024)

References