India’s parliament began voting on Monday for the country’s new president, with a female politician from a marginalized tribal community awarded the favourite.

Droupadi Murmu, from the Santhal tribe, was nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party for the ceremonial post.

If elected, he will be the first president of a tribe and the second president of India.

As for the outgoing president, Ram Nath Kovind, he is the country’s second president from the Dalit community, at the lowest caste system, also called the “untouchable”.

Murmu, 64, started his career as an elementary school teacher in the eastern state of Odisha before going into politics. He has held ministerial positions in the state government and served as governor of the state of Jharkhand (east).

He “has dedicated his life to serving society and empowering the poor, oppressed and marginalized,” Modi wrote on Twitter after his candidacy was announced.

His main opponent, Yashwant Sinha, 84, a former BJP member and former finance and foreign minister, is backed by opposition parties, including Congress.

He is now a fierce critic of Modi’s government.

“This year, the presidential election is not a contest between two individuals but between two ideologies,” he said on Twitter. “Only one party wants to protect the provisions and values ​​enshrined in our Constitution.”

India’s president is elected for a five-year term by nearly 5,000 elected members from both houses of parliament and the country’s regional legislature.

Each vote is weighted according to the size of the constituency, and candidates are ranked in order of preference.

If no candidate gains more than 50% support, the candidate with the lowest score is eliminated and their votes redistributed until the candidate stands out with an absolute majority.

Election results will be announced this weekend.

India’s prime minister holds executive power, but the president can return some bills from parliament for reconsideration.

The president also plays a role in the process of forming the government.