Tribal woman likely to be India’s next ceremonial president

India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party’s presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu (AP)

A woman representing India’s poor tribal community is likely to be the country’s next president after the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chose Draupadi Murmu as its candidate.

The presidency is a ceremonial post and the election of Ms Murmu, 64, is a formality, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP in a strong position to galvanise support for her among legislators at parliament and state level.