Ram Nath Kovind swearing-in: All you need to know about the Presidential ceremony

President-elect Ram Nath Kovind won 7 lakh votes contrary to Meira Kumar who won only 3.6 lakh votes. Kovind is said to have got the votes of 522 MPs, whereas Kumar only received the support of 225 MPs. The swearing-in is likely to start at 12:15 pm today.

Having won over 7 lakh votes, President-elect Ram Nath Kovind will have a grand welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan today. He will be sworn-in as the 14th President of India and the ceremony will be held at 12:15 pm today in the Central Hall of the Parliament House, New Delhi. Among those attending the ceremony will include the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of India, Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

The ceremony will also be attended by Members of Council of Ministers, Governors, Chief Ministers, Heads of Diplomatic Missions, Members of Parliament and Principal Civil and Military Officers of the Government of India.

First the President-elect Ram Nath Kovind will arrive at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan with a military service escort. There he will be received by the incumbent President Pranab Mukherjee. From there, both the President and the President-elect will be arriving at the Central Hall in a ceremonial procession. They will be received by the presiding officers of the two Houses- The Lok Sabha Speaker and the Vice-President, who is also the Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

As per the protocol, Kovind will take oath of office in the presence of the Chief Justice of India. Following which, a 21-Gun Salute will be fired. Kovindh will then address the Houses in the Central Hall. After this, he will be accompanied by Pranab Mukherjee to the Rashtrapati Bhavan where he will be given inter-services guard of honour in the forecourt of the Raisina Hill. Courtesies will also be extended to the outgoing President who will also be giving the new President an official tour of the Presidential residence- the Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

The new President will then escort the outgoing president to his new house-10, Rajaji Marg, where former President A P J Abdul Kalam also lived. This would be Mukherjee's last ride in the Presidential limousine.