Ram Nath Kovind, who was declared elected as India’s new President on Thursday. He will replace Pranab Mukherjee, a former senior member of the Congress party, on July 25.

:: Ram Nath Kovind, a former BJP member and an RSS activist, was on Tuesday sworn in as the 14th President of India.

Chief Justice J.S. Khehar administered the oath of office to Kovind in the presence of outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament’s Central Hall.

Immediately after the oath taking ceremony, Kovind, 71, exchanged the chair with Mukherjee to take over the top constitutional post of India – as the head of the state and supreme commander of the Indian Armed forces.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and outgoing Vice President M. Hamid Ansari and MPs were present in the Central Hall.

Kovind, former Bihar Governor, is the second Dalit President of India after K.R. Narayanan.