A low-caste politician backed by the ruling Hindu nationalist-led
coalition has emerged as the President of India in a seriously contested
election.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
Ram Nath Kovind
Ram Nath Kovind, a low-caste politician backed by the ruling Hindu
nationalist-led coalition, easily won India's presidential election on
Thursday, tightening the government's hold on positions of power.
India's constitution provides a largely ceremonial role for the
president, with the prime minister and his cabinet holding executive
power. But the president has a key role during political crises, such as
when a general election is inconclusive, by deciding which party is in
the best position to form a government.
Kovind, 71, from the Dalit community - the lowest of India's
centuries old caste hierarchy - beat the Congress party's Meira Kumar,
also a Dalit by an overwhelming majority.
His election was considered a certainty because of the strength of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party in the federal parliament and in
the state assemblies whose members take part in a presidential election.
Kovind's ascent to the highest public office is the first for a
leader reared in the powerful Hindu revivalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh (RSS) or National Volunteers' Association, the ideological mentor
of Hindu groups.
Modi himself was associated early in his career with the RSS, which
has long propagated a vision of India that puts the country's majority
Hindus first.
After his victory, Kovind said it was "an emotional moment" for him
and it will be his duty to uphold the rule of law. India's constitution
guarantees equal rights to all citizens regardless of faith.
Kumar, the Congress candidate, said her candidature was aimed
against the ideology that Kovind represented and she had asked lawmakers
to vote according to their conscience.
"My fight for secularism, the oppressed and the marginalized continues." Critics of Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have long accused it of a deep-seated bias against the country's Muslims.
Kovind's victory caps a series of top appointments by Modi,
strengthening the grip of the Hindu right on public offices, such as
governors, state chief ministers and the heads of universities.
Earlier this week, the BJP named a cabinet minister also with
strong Hindu nationalist roots as its vice president candidate for an
election to be held in August.
Dalits make up around 200 million of India's 1.3 billion population
and are being wooed by Modi's party as it prepares for the 2019 general
election.
Shekhar Gupta, a veteran journalist and political commentator said
Kovind had maintained a low-profile through his public career, a quality
valued by Modi and influential Hindu groups.
"Kovind will not be an irritant for the Modi government that
works with sense of total power, they don’t want any distraction to
their plans."
Reuters - additional reporting by Nigam Prusty; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Pritha Sarkar.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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