Outgoing President of India Ram Nath Kovind will address the nation on Sunday on the eve of demitting office, the President’s Secretariat informed.

As per the Secretariat, Kovind’s address will be broadcasted from 19:00 hours on the entire national network of All India Radio (AIR) and telecast over all channels of Doordarshan.

Droupadi Murmu, who was elected to be the 15th President of India will take oath at the Central Hall of Parliament on Monday, 25 July, with incumbent President Ram Nath Kovind’s tenure ending on July 24.

She comprehensively defeated the opposition’s presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha on Friday making way for herself to be the next President of India.

Murmu, aged 64, won by a thumping margin, garnering over 64 percent valid votes. will be the first person from a tribal background and the second woman President after Pratibha Patil to take the office.

Her candidature also created a divide in the opposition camp. The JMM party in Jharkhand extended support to her due to her tribal credentials. A few other tribal MPs and MLAs cutting across party lines also voted for her.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in congratulating Murmu and visited her residence in Delhi to wish her.

“India scripts history. At a time when 1.3 billion Indians are marking Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, a daughter of India hailing from a tribal community born in a remote part of eastern India has been elected our President. Congratulations to Smt Droupadi Murmu ji on this feat,” he tweeted.

Belonging to the Santhal tribe of Odisha, she hails from the Mayurbhanj region of the state.

She started out as a teacher and then became a junior assistant in the irrigation department, before entering politics. She served as a minister in the BJD-BJP government in Odisha and held the fisheries, animal resource development, commerce and transport portfolios.

Years later, she became the Governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021, the first tribal woman to do so.

Sinha conceded defeat and congratulated Murmu for winning the election. In a statement, he said, “I hope – indeed, every Indian hope – that as the 15th President of India she functions as the custodian of the Constitution without fear or favour. I join my fellow countrymen in extending best wishes to her.”

(With inputs from ANI)