Ram Nath Kovind was elected India’s new president Thursday, the second time since independence a head of state has been chosen from the bottom of the Hindu caste system.
A relatively unknown political operator and member of India’s lowest Dalit caste, Ram Nath Kovind has been elected as the country’s 14th president.
Ram Nath Kovind, who until recently was governor of the eastern state of Bihar, won an overwhelming majority to beat opposition Congress party candidate, Meira Kumar, a former parliament speaker and also a member of the Dalit community.
Kovind won the largely ceremonial position with more than 65 percent of the vote by members of India’s parliament and state assemblies, the election commission said.
The 71-year-old former lawyer and state governor from the marginalised Dalit community was nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party for post.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party assembled enough electoral college votes to push through its candidate and the outcome was expected.
Met President Elect Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji and congratulated him. pic.twitter.com/IwFwMdezUY — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 20, 2017
Met President Elect Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji and congratulated him. pic.twitter.com/IwFwMdezUY
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 20, 2017
“Congratulations to Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji on being elected the President of India! Best wishes for a fruitful and inspiring tenure,” Modi wrote on Twitter.
India’s prime minister wields executive power, but the president can send back some parliamentary bills for reconsideration and also plays a guiding role in the process of forming governments.
