NEW DELHI, July 25, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Droupadi Murmu was sworn in as India's

president on Monday, making her the first person from one of the country's
marginalised tribal communities to serve as head of state.

The former school teacher and state governor was elected to the largely
ceremonial position last week with 64 percent of the vote by members of
India's parliament and state assemblies.

Murmu, who is from the Santhal tribe and was born in eastern Odisha state,
paid her respects before her inauguration at a memorial dedicated to India's
independence hero Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi.

"I started my life journey from a small tribal village," Murmu, 64, said
after taking the oath of office in parliament.

"From the background I come from, it was like a dream for me to even get
elementary education," she added.

"But despite many obstacles, my resolve remained strong and I became the
first daughter from my village to go to college."

Murmu's win was considered a certainty because of the strength of the ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies in the parliament and state assemblies.

Analysts said the move will likely help Prime Minister Narendra Modi extend
his base among the poor tribal communities ahead of his re-election bid in
2024.

Murmu said her election would give hope to the poor and downtrodden who have
been left behind despite India's recent economic growth.

"It is a matter of great satisfaction to me that those who have been deprived
for centuries, who have been away from the benefits of development... are
seeing their reflection in me," she said.

India's prime minister wields executive power, but the president can send
back some parliamentary bills for reconsideration and also plays a guiding
role in the process of forming governments.

Murmu is the country's second woman president after Pratibha Patil, who held
the position for five years from 2007.

She succeeds Ram Nath Kovind, the second president from the Dalit community,
the bottom of the Hindu caste system.