PM Modi to host farewell dinner for President Ram Nath Kovind tomorrow

New Delhi, July 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a farewell dinner for outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday 5:30 pm at Hotel Ashoka in New Delhi.

Kovind will step down from office on July 24 after completing a successful tenure in India's top Constitutional post. His successor will take oath on July 25.

The presidency of Ram Nath Kovind began on July 25, 2017, when he took the oath as the fourteenth president of India.

Kovind was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee and defeated the Indian National Congress (Congress)-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) nominee and former speaker of Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar. Prior to being the presidential nominee, he was the governor of Bihar and a member of parliament in Rajya Sabha.

Kovind secured approximately two-thirds of the electoral college vote of the elected members of the federal, state and union territory legislatures.

During his presidency, he has undertaken state visits to 28 countries. He has received the highest state honors from six countries, Madagascar, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Croatia, Bolivia and the Republic of Guinea.

After retiring as President of India, Ram Nath Kovind will move to the residence allotted to him at 12, Janpath Road which was previously occupied by late Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.