New Delhi: From a Santhal village in Odisha’s remote Mayurbhanj district, class 3 state government employee, to school teacher, to politician, to India’s first woman tribal governor, Droupadi Murmu’s rise has been close to meteoric. But on Tuesday, Murmu’s ascent from relative obscurity received perhaps its crowning moment, when BJP President JP Nadda announced that Murmu was to be the NDA’s candidate for the post of president.
Murmu said that the moment she was told about the decision, she was teary eyed. “Though my name was being discussed for long, I had never expected it. I think this is evidence of Sab ka saath, sab ka biswas policy of PM Modi,” Murmu said. Murmu was born in the Baldaposi village in the Kusumi block of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj. She completed her graduation from the Ramadevi Women’s University in Bhubaneswar, began work as a junior assistant in the state’s irrigation and power department.
In 2000, she contested her first assembly election from Rairangpur on a BJP ticket and was made minister with independent charge of transport and commerce, fisheries and animal husbandry. Between 2002 and 2009, she was a member of national executive of ST Morcha of BJP. In 2015 then, Murmu became the first tribal governor of the state of Jharkhand where she completed a full five year term.
Murmu’s announcement set off a wave of congratulations from Odisha, led significantly by Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik.I was delighted when Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi discussed this with me. It is indeed a proud moment for the people of Odisha. I am sure Smt Murmu will set a shining example for women empowerment in the country,” said Patnaik.