Ram Nath Kovind was sworn in as India's 14th president, the first BJP leader and the second Dalit in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The 71-year-old took oath in Hindi to thunderous applause and thumping of desks by the gathering, including Vice President Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee and former president Pratibha Patil. <br /><br /> After taking charge, Kovind came out to the forecourt in the Presidential buggy, a black carriage with national emblem–the Ashoka insignia–embossed in gold and drawn by six horses. It was Mukherjee who had revived the tradition of the buggy ride. (AP Photo) -
President Ram Nath Kovind, inspects a guard of honor at the Presidential Palace after being sworn in. (AP Photo)
The 71-year-old's elevation also boosts the representation of his Dalit community, which ranks at the lower end of India's ancient caste hierarchy, potentially helping Prime Minister Narendra Modi extend his voter base in a 2019 general election. (PTI Photo) -
Ram Nath Kovind, a veteran politician and lawyer with a previously low profile, is a long-time member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or National Volunteers' Association, a grassroots movement that also helped launch Modi's political career. (PTI Photo)
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It was Military Secretary to the President, Major General Anil Khosla, inviting 71-year-old Kovind and his wife Savita to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. (PTI Photo)
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President Pranab Mukherjee was waiting for Ram Nath Kovind and his wife Savita in the study. (AP Photo)
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Pranab Mukherjee took the last salute of the President's Bodyguard (PBG), the cavalry regiment of the Indian Army, with Kovind standing to his left. (AP Photo)
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President-elect Ram Nath Kovind along with his wife Savita receiving a bust of Mahatma Gandhi during his visit to Rajghat ahead of his swearing-in ceremony. (AP Photo)
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President Pranab Mukherjee and his successor Ram Nath Kovind during their departure from Rashtrapati Bhavan to Parliament. (PTI Photo)
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President Ram Nath Kovind addresses the attendees during his swearing-in ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament where he said the key to India's success is its diversity and asked people to build a country that is "an economic leader and well as a moral exemplar". (PTI Photo)
