Who Is Ramnath Kovind?

PM Modi’s surprise choice is a man for all reasons. The Opposition is left in disarray

- Uday Mahurkar, Ashish Misra and Amitabh Srivastava

Sixty kilometres from Kanpur Dehat district, the road winds its way through a thick canopy of trees. Once the lair of dreaded dacoits, it now leads to a sleepy little village of ten thousand souls, Paraunkh. On June 19, the villagers there gathered under the shade of an ancient pipal tree, to celebrate the stardom of one of their own: Ram Nath Kovind. They clapped, danced, pounded dholaks and harmoniums, and sang songs of joy: “Mere gaon main khushiyan chhayi, hum dete hain Modiji ko badhai (Happiness has come home, thank you Prime Minister Narendra Modi).”

On July 26, the first president from the saffron brigade will step into the country’s most elite address, Rashtrapati Bhavan. For the first time in history—with a Lok Sabha majority, sweeping victories in key assembly elections and a little help from allies—the NDA will have the numbers to get a president it wants. For the last two months, the nation has raised a storm of words and scuttlebutt: who will be the next president of India? With NDA nominating Ram Nath Kovind as its choice on June 19, the answer at last is blowing in the wind.

KOVIND, WHO?

The surprise is total. Who is Ram Nath Kovind? Even West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, never at a loss for words, tossed her head and announced: “Ami chinina (I don’t know him).” Social media has exploded. Hashtag #RamnathKovind is still trending days after the announcement. BJP ministers are tweeting about what a “genial, soft-spoken, well-read & articulate” man the governor of Bihar is, what a “perfect gentleman”. Leaders in the Opposition, jolted out of their equilibrium, are swinging between “commitment of support”, “contest is on the cards” and a meeting on June 22, at 4.30 pm, in the Parliament Library, to take a final call.