Draupadi Murmu
Draupadi Murmu, born on June 20, 1958, belongs to Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. She has been the Governor of Jharkhand since May 18, 2015. Her name is doing rounds in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for being the party’s favourite presidential candidate. She is the first woman and tribal leader from Odisha to be appointed as a governor in an Indian state. During BJP and Biju Janata Dal coalition government in Odisha, she was the Minister of State with independent charge for Commerce and Transport from March 6, 2000 to August 6, 2002 and Fisheries and Animal Resources Development from August 6, 2002 to May 16, 2004. She was former Odisha Minister and a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Rairangpur assembly constituency in 2000 and 2004.
M Venkaiah Naidu
Born on July 1, 1949, M Venkaiah Naidu, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) likely presidential candidate, is currently serving as the Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information and Broadcasting in the Narendra Modi government. A prominent BJP leader, he has also served as its national president from 2002 to 2004. Earlier, he was the Union Cabinet Minister for Rural Development in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Both as a student leader and political figure, Naidu gained prominence as a brilliant orator, who vigorously championed the cause of the farmers and the development of backward areas.
Sushma Swaraj
Born on February 14, 1952, Sushma Swaraj is likely to be fielded as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance government’s 2017 presidential candidate. Former Supreme Court lawyer, she is current Minister of External Affairs, in office since May 26, 2014. Swaraj is the second woman to be India’s Minister of External Affairs, after Indira Gandhi. She has been elected seven times as a Member of Parliament and three times as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. At the age of 25 in 1977, she became the youngest cabinet minister of north Indian state of Haryana. She also served as fifth Chief Minister of Delhi for a brief term in 1998.
Meira Kumar
Born on March 31, 1945, Meira Kumar is Congress’ likely presidential candidate. A five-time Member of Parliament (MP), she was elected unopposed as the first woman Speaker of Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) in 2009. Prior to being a member of the 15th Lok Sabha, she has been elected earlier to the 8th, 11th, 12th and 14th Lok Sabha. She served as a Cabinet Minister in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of Manmohan Singh’s Congress led Government (2004–2009). She is also a lawyer and a former diplomat. In 1970, she joined the Indian Foreign Service and spent her life in many countries.
