July 18, 2022

 India’s parliament began voting on Monday for a new president, with a female politician from the country’s marginalized tribal community, the favorite for the post.

Droupadi Murmu, from the Santhal tribe, has been nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Baratiya Janata party for the largely ceremonial position.

If elected, she would be India’s first tribal president, and second female president. The incumbent, Ram Nath Kovind, is the country’s second president from the Dalit community, the bottom of the Hindu caste system.

Murmu, 64, began her career as a schoolteacher in the eastern state of Odisha before going into politics. She has held ministerial positions in the state government and has been governor of the neighboring state of Jharkhand.