Politics
17:07, 25-Jul-2017
Ram Nath Kovind to be sworn in as India's 14th president
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Ram Nath Kovind is set to be sworn in as India's 14th president on Tuesday, as incumbent President Pranab Mukherjee's five-year term comes to an end.
The former governor of the eastern state of Bihar was elected as India's president last week as the ruling National Democratic Alliance's contender. Kovind won the election by a huge margin against opposition nominee Meira Kumar, who served as speaker in the Indian parliament for five years.
Kovind is the second Dalit president after K. R. Narayan, who held the post for five years from 1997.
Kovind has vowed to use his position to improve the lot of Dalits, a marginalised 200-million strong community once known as "untouchables" and ranked among India's poorest.
The Indian president is the ceremonial head of state, who plays decisive roles only in the case of a hung parliament after general elections.
(With inputs from AFP)