Earlier today, Ram Nath Kovind was elected India’s 14th president. A staggering 99% of lawmakers and legislators voted on July 17th, the highest number the country has ever seen, and 65.65% voted in favour of this new president. But who is Ram Nath Kovind, your new Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces?
He is the second Dalit president of India, after K.R Narayanan, 71-year old Kovind is one of nine children and hails from a family of traditional weavers. He is the first Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) - linked politician to be elected president, and the first from Uttar Pradesh to occupy the position of president – India’s highest constitutional position.
Kovind has been a practising lawyer for more than 15 years, as an advocate for the Central Government at the Delhi High Court from 1977 to 1979, and later at the Centre and Supreme Court from 1980 and 1993. Three years ago, he was appointed the 36th Governor of Bihar.
What is significant about this presidency is not only that Kovind is India’s second Dalit president, but also that his opponent, Meira Kumar, is also from the Dalit community. Although the Congress Party’s decision to nominate Meira Kumar as their presidential candidate is considered nothing but a reactionary move, the fact that this election saw a Dalit running against another Dalit is a significant moment for a community that has, for the longest time, been marginalised and oppressed. Regressive though India may be, it’s clear that in some ways, we’re moving in the right direction.
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