Former Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu has been named as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate for the post of President.

Murmu, a tribal from Odisha, will be pitted against former Union minister Yashwant Sinha, who has been named as the opposition candidate for the post.

If elected, the 64-year-old will be the first tribal woman to become the President of India.

BJP parliamentary board discussed 20 names for presidential nominee and it was decided to pick someone from east India, a tribal and a woman, said BJP Chief JP Nadda.

She was the first woman to be sworn in as the Jharkhand Governor in 2015.

Earlier in the day, Sinha was picked up unanimously as the Opposition’s candidate for the upcoming Presidential elections.

“We have unanimously chosen Mr. Yashwant Sinha as the common candidate for the presdiential elections,” senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told media.

The polls for electing India’s 15th president will be held on July 18 and the results will be declared on July 21, the Election Commission announced Thursday.

The elections will be held as President Ram Nath Kovind’s tenure ends on July 24, 2022. He was elected in 2017.