India Begins Voting to Elect President as Ruling Parties Favor Tribal Candidate Murmu

India's president is a ceremonial post, as the Constitution grants executive powers to the prime minister. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) decided to field tribal woman Droupadi Murmu, while the opposition has relied on former Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha.

Hundreds of parliamentarians and legislators will start voting on Monday to elect the 15th president of India, with ruling party-backed Droupadi Murmu having a clear edge over her main rival, former Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha.

The president, who holds office for five years, is not elected directly by the people, but through the Electoral College, which is conformed of national and regional lawmakers. Despite being largely a ceremonial post, the president's role becomes crucial if parliamentary elections throw a hung house, with the president inviting the party in the best position to form a federal government.

A total of 776 members of parliament from both houses and 4,809 state assembly members, including NCT Delhi and union territory Puducherry, may vote, with MPs accounting for 543,231 votes and state lawmakers 543,200.

NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu has received the support of several opposition parties which govern states like Jharkhand, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh.

Uddhav Thackerey-led Shiv Sena, which recently lost its majority in the Maharashtra Assembly, also extended its backing to the female politician.

Murmu could become the first tribal representative to serve as India's president. She observed that her candidature is the "manifestation of social justice and women empowerment."

Her main opponent, Yashwant Sinha, is an 84-year-old politician who quit the BJP in 2018 after being sidelined. He launched his campaign on June 28 and visited 13 state capitals, urging parties to support him to protect the Indian constitution. He comes from an upper caste of Hindu's archaic caste system.

"I stand for safeguarding India's democratic system. My rival candidate is supported by those who are mounting daily attacks on democracy," he said on the eve of voting.

In a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP Party, Sinha said that Murmu will be under the control of those "whose aim is to convert democratic India into an imitator of communist China."

"One Nation, One Party, One Supreme Leader. Must this not be stopped? Yes, it must be. Only you can stop it," he continued.

Vote counting will occur at Delhi’s Parliament House on July 21, with the next president taking oath on July 25.