The victory of Ram Nath Kovind in India's 15th presidential election last week was a foregone conclusion. As the candidate of the ruling National Democratic Alliance, Kovind always had an edge. It became a cakewalk once Nitish Kumar and Naveen Patnaik and sundry other regional satraps decided to back him. As such, the result of the election declared on July 20 was not exactly breaking news. But in today's world where there is little difference between news and hype, the media went into a breathless tizzy over the Kovind victory. Read more