Droupadi Murmu, India’s New President: National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee Droupadi Murmu on Thursday defeated Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha to become India’s new President. She will be sworn in as India’s 15th President on July 25, after her predecessor, Ram Nath Kovind’s tenure ends on July 24. With this victory, Murmu, 64, became the first person from the tribal community to occupy the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and only the second woman after Pratibha Patil to be appointed to the country’s top constitutional post. Announcing her nomination last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and wrote, “Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji has devoted her life to serving society and empowering the poor, the downtrodden as well as the marginalised. She has rich administrative experience and had an outstanding gubernatorial tenure. I am confident she will be a great President of our nation.”