page_title: Ram Nath Kovind
section_title: Governor
hierarchical_section_title: Ram Nath Kovind / Early Career / Governor
caption_attribution_description: English: H.E the Governor of Bihar Shri Ram Nath Kovind welcoming Hon'ble President of india Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Patna on April 17,2017
context_page_description: Ram Nath Kovind is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current President of India since 25 July 2017. Previously he had served as the 26th Governor of Bihar from 2015 to 2017 and was a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from 1994 to 2006. Kovind was nominated as a presidential candidate by the ruling NDA coalition and won the 2017 presidential election.
  Before entering politics, he was a lawyer for 16 years and practised in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court until 1993.
context_section_description: On 8 August 2015, the then President of India appointed Kovind as Governor of Bihar. On 16 August 2015, the acting Chief Justice of Patna High Court, Iqbal Ahmad Ansari, administered the oath to Kovind as the 35th Governor of Bihar. The function took place at Raj Bhawan, Patna.
  Kovind's appointment was criticised by then Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar as it came months before State Assembly elections and the appointment was made without consulting State Government as recommended by Sarkaria Commission. However, Kovind's term as Governor, was praised for constituting a judicial commission to investigate irregularities in promotion of undeserving teachers, mis-management of funds and appointment of undeserving candidates in universities. In June 2017, when Kovind was announced as candidate for Presidential election, Nitish Kumar backed Kovind's choice and praised Kovind as being unbiased and working closely with the State Government during his Governorship.
caption: Governor of Bihar Ram Nath Kovind welcoming President Pranab Mukherjee at Patna on 17 April 2017
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