On 18 May 2015, Draupadi Murmu took oath as Jharkhand’s first tribal woman governor. Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court, Justice Virendra Singh administered the oath and the ceremony was attended by the Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Sudarshan Bhagat and former Chief Ministers Arjun Munda and Shibu Soren, amongst a host of other dignitaries.
The appointment holds significance as Jharkhand being a 5th Schedule State, has tribals comprising around 26% of the population.
Ever since the state won its independence from Bihar, 15-year-old Jharkhand state has seen a lot of debate between the tribals and non-tribals over administrative control. The state is still to recover from the hotly contested debate that took place in the run-up to choosing a tribal vs non-tribal Chief Minister for the state. The tribals felt excluded when Raghubar Das, a non-tribal, was finally chosen as the Chief Minister. Since then, he has had been having a tough time keeping various tribal and non-tribal factions together and the main opposition party (JMM) at bay.
It is in this context that the appointment of 58-year-old Draupadi Murmu as the Governor of Jharkhand is being seen in political circles as a masterstroke. On one hand, it placates the tribal factions which were opposing Raghubar Das’ appointment as Chief Minister, and on the other it sends out a strong message to various tribal factions that their concerns will now find a voice in the incumbent governor.
On 18 May 2015, Draupadi Murmu took oath as Jharkhand’s first tribal woman governor. Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court, Justice Virendra Singh administered the oath and the ceremony was attended by the Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Sudarshan Bhagat and former Chief Ministers Arjun Munda and Shibu Soren, amongst a host of other dignitaries.
The appointment holds significance as Jharkhand being a 5th Schedule State, has tribals comprising around 26% of the population.
Ever since the state won its independence from Bihar, 15-year-old Jharkhand state has seen a lot of debate between the tribals and non-tribals over administrative control. The state is still to recover from the hotly contested debate that took place in the run-up to choosing a tribal vs non-tribal Chief Minister for the state. The tribals felt excluded when Raghubar Das, a non-tribal, was finally chosen as the Chief Minister. Since then, he has had been having a tough time keeping various tribal and non-tribal factions together and the main opposition party (JMM) at bay.
It is in this context that the appointment of 58-year-old Draupadi Murmu as the Governor of Jharkhand is being seen in political circles as a masterstroke. On one hand, it placates the tribal factions which were opposing Raghubar Das’ appointment as Chief Minister, and on the other it sends out a strong message to various tribal factions that their concerns will now find a voice in the incumbent governor.
