Ram Nath Kovind took oath as the 14th President of India on July 25, 2017.

Criticised for its handling of Dalit issues, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s move to pick Kovind was seen by many as politically-driven decision. 

Kovind was the first Dalit President of India after K.R. Narayanan.

As President Kovind readies to leave the Rashtrapati Bhavan to make way for his successor, Droupadi Murmu, here’s a look back on his term.

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During the five years of President Kovind’s tenure, India witnessed several tumultuous events, including the controversial decision to revoke Article 370 of the Constitution, protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the COVID-19 pandemic, and the widespread farmers’ protests against three farm laws brought in by the government.

The President stood behind the government and supported its decisions as all the events unfolded. He put his stamp of approval on the repeal of Article 370. He referred to the move as a landmark step.

In his address to Parliament on January 31 2020, he termed the CAA “a historic law.” In the same speech, he said, “My government is taking strong steps for making this decade India’s decade.”

He also frequently lauded the government’s efforts in tackling the pandemic and the handling of the vaccination drive. 

During Kovind’s term, President rule was imposed in the country three times, including during the infamous Jammu and Kashmir phase when Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, resigned after the BJP withdrew its support from the coalition.

President’s rule was also imposed after the Maharashtra elections gave a majority to BJP-led NDA. However, a spat with Shiv Sena resulted in a hung assembly.

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The third time President’s rule was imposed was in Puducherry for a simple constitutional process.

Kovind, as president, made several visits to other countries – including those that have been previously ignored. His most important visits were arguably to African countries. During his tenure, he visited Benin, Djibouti, Guinea, Ethiopia and others.

The visits were important for India as it is trying to make inroads into the African countries to counter China’s dominance. 

During one of the visit, India signed a Foreign Office level consultations agreement with Djibouti. The country also granted $600 million in assistance to the African country.

Kovind was also the chief guest in many Golden Jubilee celebrations for Bangladesh and Mauritius.