India got its first tribal President as Droupadi Murmu, the NDA’s choice, scooped up over 50 per cent of the total vote value after just three rounds of counting.
Opposition’s Yashwant Sinha has conceded defeat. The oath ceremony is on July 25. Droupadi Murmu has accumulated 51.2 per cent of total vote value after three rounds of counting. There is still one more round of counting to go.
“I heartily congratulate Srimati Droupadi Murmu on her victory in the Presidential Election 2022. I hope — indeed, every Indian hopes — that as the 15th President of India she functions as the Custodian of the Constitution without fear or favour. I join my fellow countrymen in extending best wishes to her,” tweeted Yashwant Sinha.
The figures indicate a considerable cross-voting in Ms Murmu’s favour. While parties have declared support for onec candidate or the other, there is no penalty for cross-voting in the Presidential elections.
The counting process started at 11 at the Parliament House and after preliminaries, the actual counting started at 1.30 pm. The trends became clear after the first round where Ms Murmu stood at 39 per cent.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, some senior members of his Cabinet and BJP chief J P Nadda are expected to visit Droupadi Murmu at her temporary lodgings in Teen Murti Marg to congratulate her after the results are declared.
The Delhi BJP has started its celebrations with a roadshow from the party headquarters, which will end at Rajpath. All state units of the BJP have also planned victory processions.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has already congratulated Ms Murmu. “The first women tribal to become President is a momentous occasion and thanks to PM Modi for giving such unique gift. There is absolute euphoria in Assam, particularly in the tea gardens, people are very happy,” he added.
Residents in Odisha’s Rairangpur, the hometown of Ms Murmu, are already celebrating. They have got 20,000 sweets prepared. A tribal dance and victory procession are part of the plan after the results are out.
NDA’s choice of Ms Murmu — a tribal woman from Odisha and a former Jharkhand Governor — worked as a move to split the Opposition and bring support from non-aligned parties, such as Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal and Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress.
The winner of the Presidential election is not the candidate who gets only the most votes, but the one who crosses a quota. This quota is determined by adding votes polled for each candidate, dividing by two, and adding ‘1’ to it. Basically, one more than 50 per cent. If someone does not cross this at first, subsequent preferences marked on the ballot paper come into play.