Ram Nath Kovind: Key posts en route to becoming president

New Delhi: Ram Nath Kovind was sworn in to the highest constitutional post in India, the Presidency, on Tuesday. A low-profile politician, Kovind’s last post before becoming President was that of Bihar governor.

Besides the lawyer-turned -politician has held several responsible positions in the past, including several organisations that offered him a chance to work for the upliftment of the poor and the Dalits.

Here are some key positions held by India’s new President in the past:

■ Bihar governor: Kovind was nominated as the governor of Bihar in 2015. His appointment was initially criticized by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar as it was done without consulting the Sarkaria Commission on centre-state relations suggested. As Bihar governor, Kovind received praise for constituting a judicial commission to probe irregularities in promotion of undeserving teachers, mismanagement of funds and appointment of undeserving candidates in universities. Kumar later backed Kovind’s candidature as NDA’s presidential nominee.

■ Lawyer: After finishing his B.Com and LLB degrees from Kanpur University, Kovind had a successful career as a practising lawyer. He served as the Central government’s advocate in the Delhi high court between 1977 and 1979. He was also standing counsel in the Supreme Court between 1980 and 1993. He was made advocate-on-record at the apex court in 1978 and continued his legal practice at Delhi HC and the Supreme Court till 1993.

■ Secretary: After becoming a part of Janata Party government in 1977, he worked as a private secretary of then finance minister Morarji Desai after the emergency in June 1975. He was also the special executive officer to Desai in 1977.

■ BJP office bearer: He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1991 and served as the President of the BJP Dalit Morcha and the All-India Koli Samaj between 1998 and 2002. In 2003, as Koli Samaj president, Kovind, demanded tougher laws to curb the growing incidents of atrocities on Dalits, a report in The Hindu said. In 2010, as the newly-appointed BJP spokesperson, Kovind spoke against the Ranganath Misra Commission’s report on reservations for minority groups, which recommended 15% quota in government jobs for socially and economically backward sections, added a report in DNA.

■ Member of Parliament: He served as the chairman of a House Committee in the Rajya Sabha in 2003. President Kovind is also a member of the SC / ST Welfare Committee of Parliament, Ministry of home affairs, Petroleum Ministry, Social Justice.

■ Social Worker: He is also a lifetime custodian of Divya Prem Seva Mission that serves leprosy patients located on the banks of Ganga in Haridwar, said a report in TotalTV.

■ Management: He is also a key member of the management board of Dr. BR Ambedkar University, Lucknow and the board of governors, IIM, Kolkata.

■ Education Worker: During his tenure as the MP, Kovind has worked extensively to provide access to education in remote villages of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

■ Internationally, Kovind has represented India in the United Nations and addressed the United Nations General Assembly in October, 2002, says a report in The Hindu.

■ He offered free legal aid to backward or weaker sections of the society, particularly to help SC/ST women, poor and elderly, added a report in The Indian Express.