President Kovind was the Governor of Bihar before being elected as the 14th President of India on July 25 last year. He had secured a massive margin over the UPA nominee, Meira Kumar in the Presidential election
October 1, marked President Ram Nath Kovind's 73rd birthday. Ram Nath Kovind became 14th President of India on July 25 last year after he had secured a massive 7,02,044 votes over the UPA nominee, Meira Kumar who had got 3,67,314 votes in the Presidential election. Kovind was born in Paraukh village in the Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh. His father Maikulal ran a small shop to support his family. Kovind was the youngest of five brothers and two sisters. He lost his mother at the tender age of five when his mother died of burns when their thatched dwelling caught fire. From walking 8 km every day to attend junior school to becoming the President of India his journey has been an inspiring one.
Here are some lesser-known facts about Ram Nath Kovind, the 14th President of the world’s largest democracy, India.
- Ram Nath Kovind is the 2nd Dalit President of India. The first being K.R. Narayanan.
- Kovind graduated from Kanpur University in law and commerce subjects. He was a renowned lawyer who practiced law in Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court for almost 16 years.
- After graduation from Kanpur University, Kovind moved to Delhi to prepare for the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) entrance examination. He failed to pass the Civil Services Examination in his first two attempts. Finally, in his third attempt, he was succeeded in the Civil Services Examination. However, he was selected for allied services, so he did not join civil service and started working as an advocate.
- Kovind is the Dalit leader who first stepped into politics in 1994 and got elected as a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh Region. He served for two consecutive terms for 12 years till March 2006. He represented India in the United Nations in New York and addressed United Nations General Assembly in October 2002.
- Ram Nath Kovind was nominated as a lawyer at the Delhi Bar Council in 1971. He was a Central Government advocate in Delhi High Court from 1977 to 1979, whereas from 1980 to 1993, he was the permanent counsellor of the Central Government in the Supreme Court. In 1978, he became the Advocate-on-record in the Supreme Court. He worked in Delhi High Court and Supreme Court for almost 16 years from 1977 to 1993.
- Did you know? Before joining the BJP in 1977, Ramnath Kovind also worked as the Private Secretary of the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai.
- Ramnath Kovind also worked as a board member at Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow and Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata. He has also worked as the National Spokesperson of Bhartiya Janta Party.
- Ramnath Kovind has donated his ancestral house located in Paraukh village to the villagers of Paraunkh as a "Marriage Hall" or "Community Hall".
- Kovind is married to Savita Kovind with whom he has a son, Prashant Kumar, and daughter, Swati.
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