Kovind is the first BJP member to be elected to the top position
In a glittering ceremony, Ram Nath Kovind took oath as the 14th President of India on Tuesdayby Chief Justice JS Khehar at the Central Hall of the Parliament House.
Kovind, the 71-year-old former Bihar Governor, is India’s second Dalit president after KR Narayanan and first BJP member to be elected to the top position. He defeated Opposition’s Meira Kumar by a clear margin of 65.6 percent votes.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, other MPs, Union Ministers and governors of the state. Others including Kovind’s rival and former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Devegowda, former President Pratibha Patil, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former deputy prime minister LK Advani and foreign dignitaries were also present at the event.
The ceremony began at 12.15 p.m. and the new president took oath in Hindi. Kovind’s family members, associates, and close friends also arrived for the searing-in ceremony. Earlier in the day, Kovind reached Rajghat along with his wife Savita and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.
“I come from a mud hut in a remote village,†said Kovind in his maiden address as the President of India. “I will be carrying out my responsibilities as predecessor Pranab da [regional word to address an elder].â€
“Every soldier who guards our borders, every farmer, every scientist, every doctor, every entrepreneur who is building a start-up are national builder. Every citizen is a national builder,†the president said adding that we have to build an India of the twenty-first century providing equal opportunities for all.
The road from Rashtrapati Bhavan to Parliament was lined with jawans of the armed forces and the new president reached Rashtrapati Bhavan along with outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee after the swearing-in ceremony. The outgoing president then took the last salute of the President’s Bodyguard and headed toward his new residence 10, Rajaji Marg.
First President from the politically significant Uttar Pradesh, Kovind was a Rajya Sabha member from 1994 to 2006. He also served as the President of BJP Dalit Morcha and earlier donated his ancestral home in Derapur to RSS. He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and an LLB from Kanpur University’s DAV college.
Social Media Updates:
Honoured to be sworn in as the 14th President of India; would be carrying out my responsibilities with all humility #PresidentKovind
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 25, 2017
Congratulations to Shri Ram Nath Kovind ji on taking oath as the President of India. @RashtrapatiBhvn
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 25, 2017
Very inspiring address by President Ram Nath Kovind Ji, which beautifully summed up the essence of India’s strengths, democracy & diversity.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 25, 2017
President, Shri #RamNathKovind inspecting the Guard of Honour after the swearing-in ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/7bpBehJJrX
— Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (@MIB_India) July 25, 2017