#Indian #Parliament #begins #electing #President
India’s parliament began electing a new president on Monday, with a politician from the country’s marginalized tribal community the favorite for the post.
Droupadi Murmu, of the Santhal tribe, was nominated for the largely ceremonial position by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
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 lower end of the Hindu caste system.
Murmu, 64, began her career as a school teacher in eastern Odisha state before entering politics. She has held ministerial posts in the state government and was governor of the neighboring state of Jharkhand.
Murmu “has dedicated her life to serving society and empowering the poor, oppressed and marginalized,” Modi tweeted after announcing her candidacy.
Her main opponent for the presidency is veteran politician Yashwant Sinha, a former BJP member and former finance and foreign minister backed by opposition parties including Congress.
He is now a vocal critic of the Modi government, tweeting over the weekend: “This year’s presidential election is not a competition between two individuals, but two ideologies.
“Only one side wants to protect the provisions and values enshrined in our constitution.”
India’s President is elected by nearly 5,000 elected members of both houses of Parliament and regional legislatures across the country.
Each of their votes is weighted by the size of their constituency, and they rank candidates in order of preference.
If no one has more than 50 percent support, the candidate with the lowest score is eliminated and their votes redistributed until someone achieves the goal.
The result will be announced later this week.
India’s prime minister exercises executive power, but the president can send some parliamentary bills back for reconsideration.
The President also plays a leading role in the process of forming a government.
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