Ram Nath Kovind has been sworn in as
India’s 14th President replacing Pranab Mukherjee. He was administered the oath of office by
Chief Justice JS Khehar in the central hall of Parliament. At the occasion
attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former PMs Manmohan Singh and Deve Gowda, former president Pratibha Patil, chief ministers and MPs of both Houses of
Parliament, Kovind thanked everyone for the enormous responsibility bestowed on
him.
“I bow to the 125 crore citizens of this great nation and
promise to stay true to the trust they have bestowed on me,” he said. “Each one
of us is a custodian of India’s well-being and of the legacy that we will pass
on to coming generations.”
Kovind, former Governor of Bihar and nominated by the BJP-led
NDA, won the presidential election last week receiving over 7 lakh votes in the
Electoral College and defeating Opposition candidate Meira Kumar.
Kovind, who practiced at both the Delhi High Court and Supreme
Court for 16 years, is India’s second Dalit president after KR Narayanan. The
71-year-old has also been a Rajya Sabha MP for two terms.
Posted on :
Jul 26, 2017