Highlights: Ram Nath Kovind is next President of India, to take oath on July 25

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Ram Nath Kovind was on Thursday elected as the new President of India, securing a massive margin over his rival Meira Kumar.

In an electoral college of 4,986 voters with a vote value of 10,98,903, Kovind got 2,930 votes carrying a value of 7,00,244, while the former Lok Sabha Speaker secured 1,844 votes with a value of 3,67,314.

While Kovind got 65.65% of the total valid vote value of 10,69,358, Meira Kumar got 34.35%.

Here are the live updates:

5.52pm:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets President Elect #RamNathKovind in Delhi, congratulates him on his victory pic.twitter.com/pAnH0LY7zR

— ANI (@ANI_news) July 20, 2017

5.13pm: I congratulate Ram Nath Kovind ji for his victory. It is a victory of the democracy: Union minister Nitin Gadkari.

5.06pm: Want to make it very clear that today on July 20 July, my battle for ideology doesn’t end, it will continue: Meira Kumar

5pm: I thank all who supported me from across country, I feel very emotional, I’ll represent all struggling to make a living: Ram Nath Kovind

4.55pm: On July 25, after demitting office, Pranab Mukherjee will shift to 10 Rajaji Marg, his address for the rest of his life. As former President, he will be entitled to all facilities enjoyed by Union cabinet ministers.

4.54pm: I congratulate Shri Ram Nath Kovindji for becoming the President of India: Meira Kumar

4.52pm: PM Narendra Modi congratulates Ram Nath Kovind, says he is gladdened by the extensive support he got.

4.50pm: During his tenure, President Pranab Mukherjee cleared 32 mercy petitions. He also did away with honorifics like Mahamahim and “His Excellency”.

4.47pm: I thank BJP members, NDA family, other valued parties and leaders who supported Shri Ram Nath Kovind ji: BJP president Amit Shah.

4.45pm: President-elect Ram Nath Kovind will be administered oath by the Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar on July 25. Pranab Mukerhjee’s last day as President will be July 24.

4.32pm:

BJP workers in Patna. #RamNathKovind #PresidentOfIndia pic.twitter.com/vb6Y6wsPmG

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 20, 2017

4.28pm: Final figures from counting of votes in presidential election:

Ram Nath Kovind -- 702044 votes

Meira Kumar -- 367314 votes

4:23pm: Lok Sabha secretary general Anoop Mishra announces victory for Ram Nath Kovind. To be India’s new President

4.09pm: Sources say Kovind got more votes than expected in Gujarat and Goa.

4.02pm: NDA pick Ram Nath Kovind gets 65.65% votes in presidential election, official announcement of victory shortly, say sources.

3.53pm: NDA presidential candidate Kovind crosses halfway mark, last phase of counting underway.

2.49pm: Paraunkh and Jhinjhak in Kanpur Dehat district are all set to celebrate as the village and the town are confident that Ram Nath Kovind will become the next President of India shortly. Full story.

2.40pm: Ram Nath Kovind gets 1,389 votes with value of 479585; Meira Kumar gets 576 with value of 20,4594 after counting of votes from 11 states.

2.12pm: “I am not upset, why should I be upset? I am a fighter, I fought for the belief and faith of majority of my countrymen and women,” says the Opposition’s nominee, Meira Kumar.

1.35pm: NDA’s nominee Ram Nath Kovind is leading with 60,683 votes. The Opposition’s pick, Meira Kumar, is at 22,941 votes. These numbers are from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, according to returning officer Anoop Mishra.

11.55am: The counting of votes polled in the presidential election is underway. Here is how India picks its President.

11.29am: A two-time Rajya Sabha MP, former BJP spokesperson and till recently the Bihar governor, Ram Nath Kovind has never been part of the Lutyen’s Delhi until the limelight was thrust upon him when the ruling party announced his name as its Presidential nominee last month. Find out more about Kovind.

11.20am: “Great belief in ideology I fought for, also believe in inner voice of conscience. Let’s see how much it prevails,” says Meira Kumar, the Opposition’s presidential nominee.

11 am: Counting of votes polled in the presidential election begins.

10:59 am: BJP and Congress leaders before the counting of votes in the Parliament.

10:57 am: Officials ready to start counting of votes in Parliament.

Preparation for counting of ballots for the election of President in the Parliament in New Delhi. (HT Photo/ Arvind Yadav)

10:15 am: Huge crowd gathers outside Kovind’s ancestral house.

Havan being conducted at Patthari Devi temple in Ram Nath Kovind’s village Paraunk in Uttar Pradesh. (HT Photo)

10: 00 am: Ram Nath Kovind’s sister-in-law Vidyavati is observing fast since Wednesday for his victory. She is the wife of Shiv Balak, Kovind’s brother, who played a crucial role in his education and sent him to Kanpur for higher studies.

8:48 am: Villagers in Ram Nath Kovind’s village Paraunkh in Uttar Pradesh are glued to their TV sets and radios in anticipation of the result. The village is all set to celebrate the likely win of Kovind.

•The candidate who secures at least one vote more than 50 per cent of the total votes will be elected as the President.

• A total of 4,896 voters -- 4,120 MLAs and 776 elected MPs -- were eligible to cast their ballot.

• Voting was held in 32 polling stations -- one in Parliament House Room No 62 and rest one each in state legislative assemblies.

1st Presidential poll (1952)

Candidate Name	Votes
Dr. Rajendra Prasad	507,400
K.T. Shah	92,827
Thatte Lakshman Ganesh	2,672
Chowdhry Hari Ram	1,954
Krishna Kumar Chatterjee	533

2nd Presidential poll (1957)

Candidate Name	Votes
Dr. Rajendra Prasad	459,698
Chowdhry Hari Ram	2,672
Nagendra Narayan Das	2,000

3rd Presidential poll (1962)

Candidate Name	Votes
Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan	553,067
Chowdhry Hari Ram/t6,341
Yamuna Prasad Trisulia	3,537

4th Presidential poll (1962)

Candidate Name	Votes
Zakir Hussain	471,244
Kota Subbarao	363,971
Khubi Ram	1,369
Yamuna Prasad Trisulla	232
Bhamburkar Shriniwas Gopal	232
Brahma Deo	232
Krishna Kumar Chatterjee	125
Kumar Kamla Singh	125
Chandradutt Senani	0
U.P. Chugani	0
Dr. M.C. Davar	0
Chowdhry Hari Ram	0
Dr. Man Singh Ahluwalia	0
Manohara Holkar	0
Seetharamaiah Ramaswamy Sharma Hoysala	0
Satyabhakt	0

5th Presidential poll (1969)

Candidate Name	Votes
Varahagiri Venkata Giri (INDEPENDENT)	401,515 / 420,077
Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy (INDEPENDENT)	313,548 / 405,427
C.D. Deshmukh	112,769
Chandradatt Senani	5,814
Furcharan Kaur	940
Rajabhoj Pandurang Nathuji	831
Babu Lal Mag	576
Chowdhry Hari Ram	125
Sharma Manovihari Anirudh	125
Khubi Ram	94
Bhagmal	0
Krishna Kumar Chatterjee	0
Santosh Singh Kachhwaha	0
Dr. Ramdular Tripathi Chakor	0
Shri Ramanlal Prushottam Vyas	0

6th Presidential poll (1974)

Candidate Name	Votes
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (INC)	754,113
Tridib Chaudhuri (INDEPENDENT)	189,196

7th Presidential poll (1977)

Candidate Name	Votes
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy	Won unopposed*

*37 candidates filed nominations, 36 got rejected

8th Presidential poll (1982)

Candidate Name	Party	Votes
Zail Singh	Indian National Congress	754,113
H.R. Khanna	Independent	282,685

9th Presidential poll (1987)

Candidate Name	Party	Votes
R. Venkataraman	Indian National Congress	740,148
V. R. Krishna Iyer	Independent	281,550
Mithilesh Kumar	Independent	2,223

10th Presidential poll (1992)

Candidate Name	Party	Votes
Shankar Dayal Sharma	Indian Nationlal Congress	675,864
G.G. Swell	Independent	346,485
Ram Jethmalani	Independent	2,704

11th Presidential poll (1997)

Candidate Name	Party	Votes
K.R. Narayanan	Indian National Congress	956,290
T.N. Seshan	Independent	50,631
Kaka Joginder Singh a.k.a. Dharti Pakad	Independent	1,135

12th Presidential poll (2002)

Candidate Name	Party	Votes
Abdul Kalam	Independent	922,884
Lakshmi Sahgal	CPI(M)	107,366

13th Presidential poll (2007)

Candidate Name	Party	Votes
Pratibha Patil	Indian National Congress	638,116
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat	Independent	331,306

14th Presidential poll (2012)

Candidate Name	Party	Votes
Pranabh Mukherjee	Indian National Congress/UPA	713,763
P.A.Sangma	Independent	315,987

(inputs from agencies)