India gets its 14th President: Ram Nath Kovind wins polls

New Delhi: National Democratic Alliance (NDA) presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind has been elected as the 14th President of India.

Kovind got over 7.2 lakh votes (66% share), with opposition candidate Meira Kumar lagging behind with 3.6 lakh votes, in the vote count on Thursday.

Kovind was a Uttar Pradesh based Dalit Presidential Candidate from ruling NDA government who won the polls and elected as the heir of President Pranab Mukherjee.

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Mukherjee's term is set to expire on July 25.

The counting of votes for the Presidential election began in the Parliament at 1100 hours and while 70 per cent votes are expected to go to Kovind, making him the next occupant of the Rashtrapati Bhawan, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, who was nominated by 17 opposition parties, might fell short in the numbers game.

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Showing his confidence in the supporters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already congratulated Kovind a day before the election which was held on Monday and in a big setback to opposition unity, Janata Dal (United) led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had supported Kovind’s candidature.

There were eight rounds of counting. Polling to choose the successor to President Mukherjee was held simultaneously at 32 polling stations -- one in Parliament House and one each in 29 state assemblies and two union territories with assemblies.