Ram Nath Kovind is the 14th and current President of India who earlier served as the Governor of Bihar from 2015 to 2017. He was a lawyer for long 16 years and practiced in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court until 1993. He served as Member of Parliament from 1994 to 2006.
Early Life of Ram Nath Kovind
Born on 1st October 1945 in Paraukh village in the Kanpur Dehat district, Uttar Pradesh, Ram Nath Kovind"s father Maikulal was from Dalit weaving community. He was the youngest of five brothers and two sisters. He holds a bachelor`s degree in commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from DAV College.
Career of Ram Nath Kovind as an Advocate
Ram Nath Kovind started as an advocate in 1971 with the bar council of Delhi. He was the Central Government Advocate in the Delhi High Court from year 1977 to year 1979. He also served as the personal assistant of Prime Minister of India Morarji Desai between 1977 and 1978. He practiced in the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court until 1993. As an advocate, he worked for the lower sections of society, women and the poor under the Free Legal Aid Society of New Delhi.
Career of Ram Nath Kovind as a Governor
On 8th August 2015, Kovind was appointed as the Governor of Bihar. His phrase as Governor was admired. In June 2017, Kovind was announced as candidate for Presidential election. After the nomination for the post of 14th President of India, he resigned from his post as Governor of Bihar.
Political Career of Ram Nath Kovind
In 1991, Ram Nath Kovind joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was President of the Bharatiya Janata Party Dalit Morcha between 1998 and 2002 and President of the All-India Koli Samaj. He contested for "Ghatampur" assembly constituency, but lost and later contested for "Bhognipur". He then became a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from the state of Uttar Pradesh in April 1994 and served a total of twelve years. He also served as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha House Committee.
He also has served on the Board of management of Dr. B.R Ambedkar University, Lucknow and represented India at the United Nation and addressed the United Nations General Assembly in October 2002. He won the presidential election on 20th July 2017. He received 65.65 percent of the votes against the former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar. He became the second "Dalit" spokesperson to become President after Kocheril Raman Narayanan and also is the first BJP candidate to be elected to the post.
Personal Life of Ram Nath Kovind
Ram Nath Kovind married Savita Kovind on May 30, 1974. He has a son, Shri Prashant Kumar, and a daughter, Miss Swati. He is a devoted reader and has keen interest in reading books on politics and social change, law and history, and religion.
