In an all-Dalit battle for top Constitutional post, NDA candidate defeats UPA’s Meira Kumar to be elected 14th Prez
First BJP member to be elected India President
PTI
NEW DELHI
Ram Nath Kovind, a low-key lawyer-turned-politician, was elected on Thursday as India's 14th President, the first BJP member and the second Dalit to occupy the country's highest office.
The 71-year-old Kovind defeated joint opposition candidate Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker, after garnering 65.65 percent of the votes in the electoral college.
Expressing happiness over the "extensive" support Kovind got from the electoral college, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Congratulations to Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji on being elected the President of India! Best wishes for a fruitful & inspiring tenure."
The winning margin was not as big as forecast by the BJP, which had projected a 70 per cent vote for Kovind
