14th President of India: Wishes pour in for Ram Nath Kovind

Kovind, who will take oath on July 25, won the elections by defeating opposition nominee Meira Kumar

Hours after Ram Nath Kovind won the presidential elections by securing over two-thirds of the total electoral college votes, the politician and Chief Minister of various states extended their good wishes for the 14th President of India.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh congratulated Kovind for his victory and said that his nomination for President post was a sign that government is determined to bring Dalits in mainstream

"His election to the highest post is a sign of the policies and ideologies of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)," Chhattisgrah Chief Minister told ANI.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also extended her good wishes to Kovind and said, "I hope the tenure of Kovind Ji would prove to be inspiring, encouraging and egalitarian."

She further said that his victory marks an important milestone in political history of India and reflects empowerment of weaker sections of society.

Asserting that Kovind would increase the dignity of the position, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated the former for becoming the next President.

"He (Kovind) is down to earth person and sincere person. I would like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah and everyone who voted him. I give my gratitude to Pranab Mukherjee as well," Fadnavis said.

"Ram Nath Kovind has reached this height with a lot of responsibility. The backward class will also get to know that they also have a place in the Constitution," he added.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao also congratulated Kovind on being elected as the next President of India.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav also congratulated Kovind and also Opposition nominee Meira Kumar for the courage she had shown.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan also expressed confidence over Kovind and wished him on his victory.

"I am confident that he (Ram Nath Kovind) will work for all from his position. I had very good experience with Pranab Da," she said.

Kovind, a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee on Thursday won the presidential elections by defeating Opposition candidate Meira Kumar.

After final round of counting, Kovind got 7,02,044 votes out of a total of 10,69,358 while his opponent and former Lok Sabha speaker Kumar secured 3,67,314 votes.

Kovind will take oath as 14th President of India on July 25 as incumbent Pranab Mukerhjee's last day as president is on July 24.