President Kovind all set to bid adieu to Rashtrapati Bhavan

President Ram Nath Kovind is all set to bid adieu to the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday after completing his successful five-year tenure at the topmost constitutional position of India. Kovind sworn in as India's 14th President on July 25, 2017. 

The Parliament will host a farewell for outgoing President Kovind at the Central Hall on July 23 in which Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Members of the House will also be present, sources said, as quoted by news agency ANI.

Kovind, a grassroot level politician, has been always supporting active and greater participation of women in the development of the country and consistently calling for the society to create more opportunities for economically weaker sections.

He also served as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1971 and as counsel of the Central government in the Delhi High Court from 1977 to 1979. In 1978, Kovind became an advocate with the Supreme Court of India and from 1980 to 1993, he was a standing counsel for the Centre in the top court.

An advocate-turned-politician was elected as a member of Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in April 1994. He served as a Rajya Sabha MP till March 2006. After this, he was appointed as Bihar Governor in August 2015.

His achievements as a Governor created the way for him as a presidential candidate in 2017 and became the second Dalit to occupy the top constitutional post after K R Narayanan, who was the first Dalit President of the country.

After Kovind, former Jharkhand Governor and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Droupadi Murmu will become the 15th President of India who defeated Opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha. Murmu will be the first woman from the tribal community to become the President. 

Murmu defeated the opposition nominee and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha, by getting more than 50% of the votes. Modi, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and Sinha congratulated Murmu on her appointment.

Outgoing President Kovind's tenure will end on July 24 and the new President, Murmu will take oath on July 25.

(With agencies inputs)