Sonia, Rahul congratulate President-elect Kovind

New Delhi, July 20

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday congratulated President-elect Ram Nath Kovind, saying the president is the conscience keeper of the Constitution of India.

Expressing her best wishes to Kovind, she said the president enjoys a unique position as defender and protector of the Constitution and upholder of democratic traditions.

“The President of India enjoys a unique position as defender and protector of the Constitution, upholder of democratic traditions and as supreme commander of the Indian Armed Forces,” she said in a statement.

“The president is the conscience keeper of the Constitution of India,” she said conveying her best wishes to Kovind.

Gandhi also reiterated the Congress party’s commitment to work for upholding these cherished values and established conventions which are the “intrinsic cornerstone of our Constitution”.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi also congratulated Kovind.

“Congratulations Ram Nath Kovindji. Wishing you a great term as President of India,” he tweeted.

Kovind, the ruling NDA coalition’s candidate, was today elected as India’s 14th president with an overwhelming majority of votes from the country’s lawmakers.

Kovind defeated joint opposition candidate Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker, garnering 65.65 per cent of the votes in the Electoral College, the returning officer for the poll said. — PTI