--- title: The Low-Caste Farmer’s Son Taking High Office In India description: Ram Nath Kovind, a veteran politician from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is set to become India's next President. Results on July... canonical: https://time.com/4865974/ram-nath-kovind-india/ author: Nikhil Kumar article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-07-20T09:56:58.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T16:38:19.421Z article:section: World og:title: The Low-Caste Farmer’s Son Taking High Office In India og:description: Ram Nath Kovind, a veteran politician from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is set to become India's next President. Results on July... og:url: https://time.com/4865974/ram-nath-kovind-india/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt50e38fa500d1bebf/6988d6637cdbacca16d5945f/low-caste-farmer-son-taking-high-office-india.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: low-caste-farmer-son-taking-high-office-india og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Low-Caste Farmer’s Son Taking High Office In India twitter:description: Ram Nath Kovind, a veteran politician from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is set to become India's next President. Results on July... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt50e38fa500d1bebf/6988d6637cdbacca16d5945f/low-caste-farmer-son-taking-high-office-india.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Low-Caste Farmer's Son Taking High Office In India by [Nikhil Kumar / New Delhi](/author/nikhil-kumar/) ## Nikhil Kumar / New Delhi Kumar is an executive editor at TIME. Jul 20, 2017 9:56 AM CUT  Ram Nath Kovind was due to be named the 14th President of India on July 20 Ram Nath Kovind was due to be named the 14th President of India on July 20Vipin Kumar—Hindustan Times/Sipa USA by [Nikhil Kumar / New Delhi](/author/nikhil-kumar/) ## Nikhil Kumar / New Delhi Kumar is an executive editor at TIME. Jul 20, 2017 9:56 AM CUT Ram Nath Kovind, a veteran politician from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is set to become India’s next President. Results on July 20 were expected to confirm his victory, thanks to the BJP’s strength in India’s Parliament and state legislatures, which make up the electoral college for the largely ceremonial post. Here’s what to know about him: CASTE CARD Kovind is a Dalit, from the lowest rung of the Hindu caste hierarchy. Historically oppressed by higher-caste Hindus, Dalits account for more than 16% of the population and are now viewed as a valuable bank of voters by the country’s leading political parties. Kovind’s election would make him India’s second Dalit President, after K.R. Narayanan in the late 1990s. RED MEAT Hindu nationalist mobs have launched attacks on Muslim and Dalit communities in recent months over the issue of cow worship. Many Hindus view the cow as sacred, but many Dalits eat beef. Although Modi has condemned the attacks, critics say the BJP has not done enough to rein in its hard-line base. Kovind’s election could help the BJP woo Dalits in upcoming state elections. EYE ON 2019 Kovind’s presidency could also help Modi in his bid for re-election in 2019\. Announcing Kovind’s candidacy, Modi highlighted the “humble background” of this son of a farmer and said his would be a voice for the “downtrodden.” This fits in with the BJP’s efforts to court poorer voters in rural India as GDP growth slows, young Indians struggle to find employment and Modi’s appetite for meaningful economic reforms is under scrutiny. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4865974/ram-nath-kovind-india/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4865974/ram-nath-kovind-india/"},"headline":"The Low-Caste Farmer's Son Taking High Office In India","datePublished":"2017-07-20T09:56:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T16:38:19.421Z","description":"Ram Nath Kovind, a veteran politician from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is set to become India's next President. 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