Bhopal, Sep 13 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday congratulated Droupadi Murmu on her election as the 15th President of India and also paid rich tributes to Shankracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati and other prominent personalities who passed away recently. As the House assembled for the opening day of the monsoon session, Speaker Girish Gautam, after congratulating senior Congress MLA Dr Govind Singh on being nominated as the new Leader of Opposition, mentioned about Murmu becoming the second woman and the first tribal to get elected as President.Singh, a seven-time MLA, replaced former chief minister Kamal Nath as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly in May this year.Highlighting Murmu"s struggles in life and political journey, Gautam said “It is a matter of pride for the nation that a tribal woman has got elected to the highest post of the country.” Congratulating the President, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan termed her election as historic, unparalleled and a matter of pride for democracy.Chouhan said it is possible only in a country like India that a woman born in a poor tribal family can rise to occupy the top constitutional office in the country.Leader of Opposition Singh also congratulated Murmu by recalling her humble background and political journey.The veteran Congress legislator said under her leadership, the country"s prestige and honour will get further boost on the world stage. Later, Speaker Gautam mentioned about the passing away of prominent persons, including Dwarka peeth Shankracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, who died on Sunday last, and former MLA Jagdamba Prasad Nigam.He also spoke about recent bus accidents in Uttarakhand and on the Khalghat bridge in Madhya Pradesh"s Dhar district, soldiers who laid down their lives while on duty in Jammu and Kashmir and police jawans killed in an encounter with poachers in Guna, and paid rich tributes to all of them on behalf of the House.Chouhan, the Leader of Opposition and former Speaker NP Prajapati, among others, recalled Shankracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati"s contributions to the society and paid rich tributes to him. Congress MLA Dr Ashok Marskole paid homage to BSF soldier Girjesh Kumar Udde, who died fighting terrorists on the India-Bangladesh border on August 19. Udde hailed from Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh. Later, the Assembly observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the departed souls after which the Speaker adjourned the House, which will now meet at 11 am on Wednesday. PTI MAS RSY RSY