India's parliament began voting Monday for a new president, with a female politician from the country's marginalized tribal community the favorite for the post, APA reports citing AFP.
Droupadi Murmu, from the Santhal tribe, has been nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for the largely ceremonial position.
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 bottom of the Hindu caste system.
Murmu, 64, began her career as a schoolteacher in the eastern state of Odisha before going into politics. She has held ministerial positions in the state government, and been governor of the neighboring state of Jharkhand.
Murmu "has devoted her life to serving society and empowering the poor, downtrodden as well as the marginalised," Modi tweeted after her candidacy was announced.
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