Euphoria broke out at the new Indian President Pranab Mukherjee's hometown in India's eastern state of West Bengal while the votes were being counted on Sunday.

As the news came saying the Mukherjee won with a huge majority defeating his opposite nominee P.A. Sangma, people smeared each other with colored powder and shouted, "Long live Pranab Mukherjee ".

The villagers in Mirati, Mukherjee's hometown in Birbhum district and around 160 kilometers from the state capital, burst crackers, distributed sweets, danced to the beat of drums, prayed and conducted special worship while the votes were being counted.

The longest living member of Mukherjee family, his elder sister, 82-year-old Annapurna Mukherjee distributed sweets to the villagers.

Annapurna jokingly told a television channel that long time ago while passing by the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi Mukherjee had said that in his next life he wanted to be a horse in the president's house. "I had then told him, why a horse? You will be the president one day." She said. "And it has come true today"she said.

Mukherjee Sunday told a Bengali television channel that in his entire political career he was most grateful to former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who was his mentor.

"It was she who brought me up from nowhere. She personally taught me the politics. It is because of her, I am today where I am," he remarked.