US ‘looks forward’ to working with President-elect Ram Nath Kovind

Noting ‘growing strategic partnership’ with India, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert the US would look forward to working with the President-elect on regional and global issues.

The United States has congratulated president-elect Ram Nath Kovind on his electoral victory and said it looks forward to working with him on regional and global issues.

Ram Nath Kovind was elected India’s 14th President on Thursday. (PTI)

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

“We want to congratulate the President-elect Ramnath Kovind on his victory,” State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.

Noting that the US and India have a “deep and growing strategic partnership”, she said: “We look forward to working with the president-elect on regional and global issues.”

Nauert credited the close people-to-people contact between the world’s two largest democracies with the type of partnership they share.

“That partnership is obviously underpinned by our very close people-to-people contact with the Indian government and our shared democratic values,” Nauert said in response to a question.

A former Bihar governor, Kovind, 71, received 2,930 votes with a value of 7,02,044, to defeat the joint opposition candidate Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker, who had 1,844 votes with a value of 3,67,314.

Kovind garnered 65.65% of the votes in the electoral college against the BJP’s projected 70% vote for him.