Tribal woman elected India's president

NEW DELHI, July 21 (UNB): A 64-year-old former school teacher in India scripted history on Thursday by being the youngest and first tribal politician to win the presidency.

Droupadi Murmu, a former state governor who was fielded by India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, defeated her main challenger and opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, a former finance minister, by a huge margin.

Murmu is slated to take oath of office on July 25, replacing incumbent head of state Ram Nath Kovind whose five-year tenure ends a day before.

Voting to elect India's 15th President was held on Monday, where more than 95% of the eligible 4,500-plus lawmakers across the country exercised their franchise.

In India, the President is elected not directly by the people but by the members of both Houses of Parliament-the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha-and state assemblies and federal government-ruled Territories.