Bhubaneswar: NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu was elected as 15th President of India on Thursday.
Murmu secured 5,77,777 votes after third round of counting against Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha’s 2,61,062 votes. Murmu crossed 50% mark to emerge victorious in presidential poll after latest of counting, Business Today reported.
Announcing the election results, Rajya Sabha Secretary General and returning officer PC Mody said in the last round, total valid votes were 1,333. Overall value of valid votes was 1,65,664.
Daughter Of Odisha Droupadi Murmu Elected As 15th President of India – YouTube
In the first round of counting, Murmu secured 540 votes of MPs, while Sinha received 208 votes, out of the total 776. Total value of valid votes stood at 5,23,600. After the second round, Murmu was leading with a huge margin of 1,349 votes with Sinha was trailing behind with 543.
Murmu is scheduled to take oath, replacing Ram Nath Kovind, on July 25. Kovind’s tenure as the 14th President ends on July 24.
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik has congratulated Murmu on her election. “Congratulate the daughter of Odisha, Smt Droupadi Murmu on being elected as 15th President of India. It is indeed a very proud moment for everyone in Odisha that she has been elected for the highest office in the country,” Naveen said in a tweet.