Thursday, 20 July 2017 - 10:51am Archana Venkatraman

Ram Nath Kovind wins to become the 14th President of India succeeding Dr Pranab Mukherjee! Kovind won more than 65% of the votes giving him a clear edge over opponent Ms Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker and the first woman Speaker in India. He will take oath on July 24th, 2017

Ram Nath Kovind (left) is set to become the 14th President of India

But who is Ram Nath Kovind?

71-year-old Ram Nath Kovind is a BJP party member and former Governor of Bihar. He becomes the first RSS-BJP member to be the President of India after winning 702,644 electoral college votes. A Dalit leader, he was nominated by the NDA as its candidate for becoming the next President of India. Born in UP, he is a law graduate and joined BJP back in 1991. He is an active Dalit leader and presided over BJP's Dalit Morcha from 1998 to 2002 and he also served as President of the All-India Koli Samaj. Kovind has previously served as national spokesperson for BJP. As a Dalit activist, he has also been influential in the management board of Dr B R Ambedkar University in Lucknow.

Kovind became Bihar Governor in 2015 but he resigned in June 2017 after being nominated as NDA' government's candidate to become India's 14th President. He is married with two children.

List of all Indian Presidents so far

Here's a look back at all Indian presidents. Here's everything you should know - names of all Indian presidents, their pictures and tenures at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

President of India is the titular and ceremonial head of state and is the first citizen of the country. The post of President of India was introduced in 1950, when India became a republic and adopted the Constitution, three years after the Indian independence.

The president's official residence is in Delhi in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The president in India is elected for a period of five years and has the opportunity to hold office for two terms (10 years). In India's history, Rajendra Prasad, the first president of India, so far, is the only president to have occupied the post for 10 years. The outgoing President of India is Pranab Mukherjee, who was sworn in in July 2012 as the 13th president of India.

Here is a full list of all the presidents of India since the country became a republic (in descending order with Pranab Mukherjee first):

Ram Nath Kovind Ram Nath Kovind (RSS-BJP)

India's 14th President from July 24th 2017 onwards

President: Elected July 2017

Born in 1945.

NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind secured an overwhelming majority of votes (65.5%) to become the 14th President of India and the first RSS-BJP Dalit leader to hold the post. The 71-year-old former Governor of Bihar beat rival Meira Kumar at the presidential race in July 2017. He is the second overall Dalit leader after RK Narayan to hold the ceremonial post

Dr Pranab Mukherjee (Congress)

India's 13th President - until July 23rd 2017

President: July 2012 to July 2017

Born in 1935.

Dr Pranab Mukherjee was the 13th President of India and the first Bengali President to hold the post. The 76-year-old Congressman and the former Finance Minister beat rival P. A. Sangma at the presidential race by securing nearly 70% of the total valid votes

Pratibha Devisingh Patil (Congress)

India's 12th President

President: July 2007 to July 2012

Born in 1934.

Pratibha Patil was India's first woman president after she defeated Bhairon Singh Shekhawat to suceed Abdul Kalam. Although she finished her full five-year term of presidency, she is considered as one of the lowest profile president of India.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

India's 11th President

President: July 2002 to July 2007

Born in 1931; Died on July 27, 2015 in Shillong.

One of the most inspiring and loved president of the recent times, 84-year-old Abdul Kalam has inspired many young people of India. A successful scientist by profession, he brought a fresh perspective to Indian politics with his different style of working and his simple way of life was often quoted for inspiration. His birthday is observed as World Students Day by the UN. He has received several top honours including the Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan.

Dr Kalam, 84 passed away on Monday, July 27, 2015 in Shillong after falling ill when delivering a lecture to IIM students in Shillong. Tributes for Dr Kalam poured in from national and international quarters as he touched the hearts of young, old and children with his inspiring knowledge and good-hearted nature and love for children to progress.

K R Narayanan (Congress)

India's 10th President

Term at office: July 1997 to July 2002

Born in 1920; died in 2005

The 10th president of India, KR Narayanan studied in London School of Economics with a scholarship. He has also served as a Minister in Rajiv Gandhi's Cabinet as is considered as the only Dalit to have held the role of President of India.

Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma (Congress)

India's 9th President

Term at office: July 1992 to July 1997

Born in 1918; died in 1999

Shankar Dayal Sharma has first served as Vice President under R Venkataraman as President. After R Venkataraman's term, Sharma became the ninth President of India. Outside of his presidency, Shankar Dayal Sharma is widely recognised and respected for his passion for the rule of law and his immense contribution to the legal profession.

R Venkataraman (Congress)

India's 8th President

Term at Office: July 1987 to July 1992

Born in 1910; died in 2009

A lawyer and a staunch freedom activist, Ramaswamy Venkataraman from Tanjore first served Indian politics as a Union Cabinet member. He became India's eighth president after working as a Vice President before that. He died at the age of 98 due to multiple organ failures.

Zail Singh (Congress)

India's 7th President

Term at Office: July 1982 to July 1987

Born in 1916; died in 1994

A congress politician, Giani Zail Singh was the seventh Indian president. One of the most historical political events - Operation Blue Star; Assasination of PM Indira Gandhi and the 1984 Sikh riots all took place during his Presidency tenure. He appointed Rajiv Gandhi as the Prime Minister of India. Zail Singh died at the age of 78 in a car accident in Chandigarh.

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (Janata Party)

India's 6th President

Term at Office: July 1977 to July 1982

Born in 1913; died in 1996

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy became the youngest ever Presidents of India, elected at the age of 64. Prior to his high-profile role as the sixth President of India, he has been known to have actively participated in India's freedom movement and has held prominent roles in the central government as a staunch Congressman.

Dr Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (Congress)

India's 5th President

Term at Office: August 1974 to February 1977

Born in 1905; died in 1977

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was India's fifth President. India's second Muslim president, he has actively participated in India's freedom struggle and has been arrested in the Quit India movement. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi selected Ali Ahmed for the president's role. He was the second President to die in office (before his five-year tenure ended).

Before India's 6th president (Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was elected as the succeeding President, Basappa Danappa Jatti, the then Vice President took over as the acting president when Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed passed away.

V V Giri (Independent)

India's 4th President

Term at Office: May 1969 to August 1974

Born in 1894; died in 1980

The fourth president of India, Varahagiri Venkata Giri (VV Giri) completed his full term and also assumed the role of presidency for another short stint later in 1969 as the acting President of India when the then President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy died in office. VV Giri was conferred with the Bharat Ratna for his influential contribution to the Indian society.

Dr Zakir Hussain (Independent)

India's 3rd President

Term at Office: May 1967 to May 1969

Born in 1897; died in 1969

Dr Zakir Hussain became Republic India's first Muslim President. He was the third President of the country serving for just two years before he passed away during the middle of his term. He became the first president to die in office and has been the Indian president with the shortest stint at the helm.

Mohammed Hidayatullah was appointed as the acting President after the sudden demise of Dr Zakir Hussain for a short while before V V Giri took over as the Acting President for the rest of the term. Dr Zakir Hussain's term was succeeded by V V Giri.

Dr Radhakrishnan (Independent)

India's 2nd President

Term at Office: May 1962 to May 1967

Born in 1888; died in 1975

Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishna became the second President of India. Till date, he is considered as one of India's most celebrated scholar and philosopher. He has studied in UK's prestigious Oxford University and has been honoured with British Order as well as India's Bharat Ratna. His birthday, September 5th is celebrated as Teachers Day in India even today.

Dr Rajendra Prasad (Congress)

India's 1st President

Term at Office: January 1950 to May 1962

Born in 1884; died in 1963

Dr Rajendra Prasad became India's first ever president since the country became a Republic and adopted the constitution in January 1950.

A Congressman and a staunch supporter of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Prasad played a significant role in India's freedom movement. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna and Dr Rajendra Prasad was an inspiring teacher and lawyer by profession before becoming the first President of India.

In addition to these full term presidents, India has seen three acting presidents

VV Giri – As the acting President of India in 1969 after the demise of President Dr Zakir Hussain in office.
Mohammed Hidayatullah – Acting President for a short term before VV Giri was appointed as the acting President (see above)
Basappa Danappa Jatti – The Vice President during Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed's term, Basappa Danappa Jatti became the Acting President of India when Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed passed away in the middle of his tenure.