Nepal leaders congratulate President-elect Ram Nath Kovind; want to work closely with him

Kovind, a low-key lawyer-turned-politician, was yesterday elected as India's 14th President, the first BJP member and the second Dalit to occupy the country's highest office.

Kathmandu, Jul 21: President-elect Ram Nath Kovind was congratulated by Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on his electoral victory. They expressed willingness to working closely with him to further strengthen the "cordial" relations with India.

Kovind, a low-key lawyer-turned-politician, was yesterday elected as India's 14th President, the first BJP member and the second Dalit to occupy the country's highest office.

Bhandari and Deuba, in their messages of congratulations sent to the president-elect yesterday, expressed willingness to working closely with him in the days ahead to further strengthening the cordial relations between Nepal and India, The Himalayan Times quoted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying.

A former Bihar governor, Kovind, 71, defeated the joint opposition candidate Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker.

PTI