Ram Nath Kovind scales Raisina Hill

NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind was on Thursday elected India's next President after he secured 65.65 per cent of the total electoral college votes, in a bruising defeat for the Opposition which has been struggling to rally support ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Opposition candidate Meira Kumar got the rest of the 34.35 per cent votes in the electoral college, comprising MPs and state lawmakers. The election comes as a major victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling BJP as the Opposition had a slight majority when the Presidential race began.

Also, the counting of votes revealed large-scale cross-voting in several states, a big worry for the Opposition, especially ahead of crucial elections.

Kovind, 71, a prominent Dalit face of the ruling BJP, will be sworn in as the country's 14th President on Tuesday, a day after President Pranab Mukherjee, 81, completes his term. After KR Narayanan, Kanpur-born Kovind will be the second Dalit to occupy India's highest constitutional office.

"I realise it is a great responsibility... Will work to protect the Constitution, uphold its values," an emotional but poised President-elect said at his temporary residence in Delhi, where supporters burst firecrackers and distributed sweets. Kovind will be the first President who has had a long association with the BJP and its ideological mentor, the RSS. His election tightens the hold of the ruling alliance, the NDA, on positions of power.

The Constitution provides a largely ceremonial role for the President, with the PM and his cabinet holding executive powers. But, the President has a key role during political crises, such as an inclusive national election.

The polling was held in the Parliament House and 31 state assemblies on Monday. All ballot boxes were brought to Delhi, where votes were counted under the supervision of returning officer and Lok Sabha secretary-general Anoop Mishra.

Kovind led from the beginning, and finally won 2,930 votes with a total value of 7,02,044. Kumar managed 1,844 votes with a total value of 3,67,314. A total of 77 votes were found invalid.

After her defeat, Kumar, 72, a former Lok Sabha Speaker and legendary Dalit leader Jagjivan Ram's daughter, said, "My fight for secularism, the oppressed and the marginalised continues. This is a fight of ideologies". Though defeated, she scored the second highest value of votes for an Opposition candidate. She knew the numbers were not in her favour but she plunged into the fray as a matter of principle, calling for the "conscience votes."

Kovind's easy victory also demonstrates PM Modi's as well as BJP president Amit Shah's innovative political strategy. The united Opposition initially had a razor-thin edge in the electoral college. But picking a Dalit candidate, hailing from UP, proved to be a masterstroke. The proponents of Opposition unity — Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav — broke ranks.

Kovind's election is also important for the BJP following a perceived gulf between the Dalit community and the party.

PM Modi, who nominated Kovind as his personal choice, taking all aback, was the first to welcome his election. "Gladdened by the extensive support for Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji among MPs & across various states. I thank members of the electoral college," he tweeted.

He also congratulated Meira Kumar for her campaign, stressing that the contest was in the spirit of democratic ethos and values which "we are all proud of".

Kovind, who practised at the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court as a lawyer, had to resign as Bihar Governor to enter the Presidential race. He has also been BJP's Rajya Sabha MP.