Prime Minister Modi appreciated President Kovind's connection with every section of the society. (File)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other top BJP leaders today extended their birthday wishes to President Ram Nath Kovind. President Kovind turns 73. As a number of people wished him on social media, #RamNathKovind was one of the top trends on Twitter.
"Best wishes to Rashtrapati Ji on his birthday. India has benefitted greatly from his wisdom and perspectives on various subjects. He has connected wonderfully with every section of our society. I pray for his long and healthy life. @rashtrapatibhvn," PM Modi tweeted.
President Ram Nath Kovind was born on October 1, 1945 in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
He was the Governor of Bihar before being elected the 14th President of India on July 25 last year. He had secured a massive margin over the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) nominee, Meira Kumar in the Presidential election. He worked as a top aide to former prime minister Morarji Desai and has represented India at the United Nations in New York. The Dalit leader entered politics in 1994 when he was elected as a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh. He served for two consecutive terms for 12 years till March, 2006.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Textiles Minister Smriti Irani greeted the President and prayed for his long and healthy life.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh admired President Kovind for "his simplicity, clarity of thought and action and his concern for the poor and marginalized".
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also greeted him. "Conveying my respects and good wishes to Ram Nath Kovind ji (@rashtrapatibhvn) on his birthday," she tweeted.