Ram Nath Kovind along with his wife Savita accepting greetings on being elected as the 14th President of India, in New Delhi on Thursday. PTI Photo by Manvender Vashist (PTI7_20_2017_000242B)
SET TO be sworn in on July 25, President-elect Ram Nath Kovind has expressed desire to visit Rajghat before he enters Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Pranab Mukherjee had also begun his tenure with a visit to the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi.
As per protocol, on the morning of the swearing-in, the President-elect comes to Rashtrapati Bhavan forecourt — where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in on May 26, 2014 — escorted by the Military Secretary to the President. From there, the President-elect and the incumbent go in a ceremonial cavalcade — they travel in the same car — for the swearing-in ceremony at Parliament House.
In Parliament, they are received by the presiding officers of the two Houses — the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Vice-President, who is the Chairman of Rajya Sabha — and escorted to the Central Hall. Kovind, according to sources, has said he would want to visit Rajghat before taking over. It is not known if the visit will take place before the swearing-in or after.
As per norm, Kovind will be administered the oath of office and secrecy by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar. The swearing-in protocol — a dress rehearsal is scheduled for Saturday, for which the weekly change-of-guard ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan will not be held on July 22 — lays down that the newly sworn in President and his predecessor will return to the President’s House in the same car.
Only this time, the seats would have been reversed. Once in the 340-room mansion, as per protocol Mukherjee, as the outgoing President, will show Kovind around, take him to the study and seat him in the President’s chair in a symbolic “handing over”. Once that is done, Mukherjee will be dropped off at his new residence — 10, Rajaji Marg, where former President A P J Abdul Kalam also lived — by his successor. This would be Mukherjee’s last ride in the Presidential limousine.
Kovind will then return to Rashtrapati Bhavan alone.
