As the nation awaits the results of the presidential election, celebrations began in the ancestral village of NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu. According to Returning Officer PC Mody, Droupadi Murmu has 540 of the 748 MP votes, while Opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha has 208 votes after the first round of counting.
“Droupadi Murmu received 540 votes worth $378,000 and Yashwant Sinha received 208 votes worth $145,600.” There were a total of 15 invalid votes. “These are figures for Parliament (votes), please wait for the next announcement,” PC Mody, Rajya Sabha Secretary General, said in a statement.
People in Uperbeda, Droupadi Murmu’s ancestral village about 280 kilometres from Bhubaneswar, were celebrating even before the votes were counted. Murmu was born in this village, and the residents are now proud and overjoyed for “Odisha’s daughter.”
The people have already begun their celebration by handing out laddoos to everyone in the community. For the victory celebration, some 20,000 laddoos have been made.
In Uperbeda, Murmu still resides in her ancestral home. Her nephew, Dularam Tudu, resides in the family home that belonged to her father.
Even as counting for the presidential election is about to begin, hoardings have already appeared in this peaceful village congratulating “Odisha’s daughter” Droupadi Murmu on a victory that the people believe is within the NDA nominee’s reach.
Many local organisations, including business associations, bar associations, educational and religious institutions, and even government officials, are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to congratulate the “daughter of the soil.”
As soon as the results are announced, folk artists and tribal dancers will take to the streets after practising their performances. They are anxiously awaiting the inauguration of the nation’s first tribal woman president.
As residents of rural areas are anticipated to swarm Rairangpur town in Mayurbhanj district starting at noon, numerous organisations have planned large-scale events.
Prasanta Patnaik