Ram Nath Kovind (born 1 October 1945) is an Indian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th President of India from 2017 to 2022. Born into a poor Dalit family in rural Uttar Pradesh, he practised law in Delhi, served two terms in the Rajya Sabha for the Bharatiya Janata Party and was Governor of Bihar before his election as President. He was the second Dalit to hold the office, after K. R. Narayanan.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Ram Nath Kovind |
| Born | 1 October 1945, Paraunkh, Kanpur Dehat district, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Age | 81 |
| Office | 14th President of India (25 July 2017 – 25 July 2022) |
| Earlier posts | Governor of Bihar (2015–2017); Rajya Sabha MP (1994–2006) |
| Party | Bharatiya Janata Party (before becoming Governor) |
| Education | Kanpur University (B.Com., LL.B.) |
| Spouse | Savita Kovind (m. 1974) |
| Children | 2 (Prashant and Swati) |
Early Life
Kovind was born in the village of Paraunkh, the youngest of five brothers. His father, Maiku Lal, ran a small shop and farmed, and the family lived in a mud house. His mother died when he was a child. He walked several kilometres each day to attend school and went on to earn degrees in commerce and law from colleges of Kanpur University.
Legal Career
Kovind moved to Delhi to prepare for the civil services examination and then chose the law. He enrolled as an advocate in 1971, served as a central government counsel in the Delhi High Court from 1977 to 1979 and later represented the government in the Supreme Court. In 1977–78 he also worked as personal assistant to Prime Minister Morarji Desai. He was known for providing free legal aid to the poor, especially women and members of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
Political Career
Kovind joined the BJP in 1991 and was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in 1994, serving two terms. He led the party’s Dalit wing from 1998 to 2002, sat on several parliamentary committees and represented India at the United Nations General Assembly in 2002.
In August 2015 he was appointed Governor of Bihar, where he won respect across party lines for his even-handed conduct.
President of India (2017–2022)
In June 2017 the BJP-led alliance named Kovind as its candidate for President. He defeated the opposition’s candidate, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, and was sworn in on 25 July 2017, succeeding Pranab Mukherjee. His term covered the 2019 general election, the changes to the status of Jammu and Kashmir, and the COVID-19 pandemic. He was succeeded in July 2022 by Droupadi Murmu.
After the Presidency
In September 2023 the government appointed Kovind chairman of a high-level committee on “One Nation, One Election”, the proposal to hold national and state elections at the same time. The committee submitted its report recommending simultaneous elections in March 2024.
Personal Life
Kovind married Savita in 1974. They have a son, Prashant, and a daughter, Swati. He donated his ancestral home in Paraunkh for use as a community hall.
Offices Held
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Ram Nath Kovind born?
Ram Nath Kovind was born on 1 October 1945 in Paraunkh, Kanpur Dehat district, Uttar Pradesh, India and is 81 years old.
Featured image: President Ram Nath Kovind speaks at the inauguration of the new Darbar Hall at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai, 11 February 2022. Photo by President’s Secretariat, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
