Droupadi Murmu takes oath as India's 15th President today (25 July 2022). Murmu is the 2nd woman President of the country and the first-ever tribal woman to hold the highest Constitutional position.
The swearing-in ceremony was held in the Central Hall of the Parliament in presence of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, ex-president, Ram Nath Kovind, NV Ramana, Chief Justice of India, and many other political leaders.
Pm Narendra Modi in his tweet said that in her speech after taking the oath, she gave a message of hope and compassion. Murmu emphasized India's accomplishments and presented a futuristic vision of the path ahead at a time when the nation is marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
In her address after taking oath, President Droupadi Murmu Ji gave a message of hope and compassion. She emphasised on India's accomplishments and presented a futuristic vision of the path ahead at a time when India is marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. pic.twitter.com/I2DEO5wHbO
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 25, 2022
After taking the oath, Droupadi Murmu thanked each and every member of the country for their love and support. She also assured the people, especially the youth and women in India that while working on this post, they will be on the top priority".
Johar! Namaskar!
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 25, 2022
I humbly greet all the fellow citizens from this sacred Parliament, a symbol of the hopes, aspirations and rights of all the citizens of India.
Your affection, trust and support will be my greatest strength in discharging my functions and responsibilities.
Why President of India takes oath on 25th July
According to records, every president has taken the oath on July 25th since 1977. Rajendra Prasad, India's first President, took the oath on January 26, 1950, the day the country became a republic.
He went on to win the first presidential election in 1952. He won the second presidential election and served as President until May 1962. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan took the oath of office as president on May 13, 1962, and served until May 13, 1967.
Two presidents, Zakir Husain, and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed were unable to finish their terms because they died while in office.
On July 25, 1977, India's sixth president, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, took the oath. Since then, succeeding presidents have taken the oath on July 25th, including Giani Zail Singh, R Venkataraman, Shankar Dayal Sharma, K R Narayanan, and A P J Abdul Kalam, Pratibha Patil, Pranab Mukherjee, and Ram Nath Kovind.
Murmu, 64, made history last Thursday when she easily defeated Opposition Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha. She would go on to become India's first tribal President.
Murmu defeated Sinha by a wide majority after garnering more than 64% of the valid votes cast by MPs and MLAs, who comprise the electoral college, to become the country's 15th president. Murmu received 6,76,803 votes against Sinha's 3,80,177 votes.