Ram Nath Kovind – This name is unheard by many however his journey from Poorest village to Rashtra Pati Bhavan is full of struggle, sacrifice and dedication. BJP lead government has announced today him as Presidential candidate which is going to vacate on 24rth July. This man was once selected in IAS however rejected the most prestigious job and started practicing law and entered into politics.
Early Education and Education
He was born in remote village Paronkh in Derapur tehsil of Rural Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, his father is farmer by profession. He has completed his primary education from village government school. He has completed B.Com, L.L.B. from Kanpur University.
IAS Journey and Entry into Politics
Kovind has gone to Delhi to prepare for the Indian Administrative Services ( IAS) entrance test, he cleared the test in his third attempt however did not join the service and chose to start practising the law. In 1977 he worked as private secretart of then prime ministart Morarji Desai which opened the gate for him to enter into politics. As a lawyer, he has practised in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court for 16 years. He was Central Government Advocate in Delhi High Court from 1977 to 1979 and Central Government Standing Counsel in Supreme Court from 1980 to 1993, according to his profile on the Bihar governor’s website. Kovind became Advocate-on-Record of the Supreme Court of India in 1978. He had practiced in Delhi High Court and Supreme Court for about 16 years until 1993.
Political Journey
Kovind’s political journey began in April 1994, when he was elected as a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh and served for two consecutive terms for 12 years till March, 2006.
Kovind served as Member on following important Parliamentary Committees:
- Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes/Tribes.
- Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs.Parliamentary Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas.
- Parliamentary Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Parliamentary Committee on Law and Justice.
- Chairman of Rajya Sabha House Committee.
BJP fielded him as party’s lok sabha candidate from Ghatampur seat in 1990. He lost and never contested again.
He was nominated twice to Rajya Sabha, in 1994 and again in 2006
He was close to AB Vajpayee and LK Advani and was made national president of BJP’s SC/ST wing in 1999.
The Dalit leader was sent to Uttar Pradesh as general secretary in 2012 but ‘unhappy’ Kovind refused to take up any responsibility for more than a year.
After BJP won the general elections 2014, PM Narendra Modi sent him to Bihar as governor .
Kovind represented India in United Nations and addressed United Nations General Assembly in October, 2002.
Personal Life
He is married to Savita Kovind and He has a son Prashant Kumar who is married and a daughter Swati.
His Work for SC, OBC and Ground Level Work
Kovind is also known as a pioneer in spreading education. During his parliamentary tenure of 12 years, Kovind emphasized on the development of basic infrastructure for education in rural areas by helping in construction of school buildings in Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand under MPLAD scheme. As an advocate, Kovind took a lead in providing free legal aid to weaker sections of society, specially SC/ST women, needy and the poor under the aegis of “Free Legal Aid Society” in Delhi.
He has donated his ancestral home for Baratghar in his village. He has done great work for upliftment of society in education sector.
