Joe Biden's journey: From becoming one of the youngest senators to the oldest President of USA

Washington: A veteran in US politics, Joe Biden is elected as the 46th President of United States of America. He has been an active member in the US politics for the last five decades.

The six-term Democratic senator, Biden defeated the incumbent US President Donald Trump in Tuesday's presidential election. The 77-year-old senator ran twice unsuccessfully for president - in 1988 and 2008. Biden is the oldest person ever to occupy the White House.

The presidential dreams of the senator seemed all over when he lost the elections twice, however, he regained his hopes when he won South Carolina's Democratic Party primary on February 29 this year, forcing most rivals out of the race and making one of the most dramatic comebacks in American political history.

Biden served two terms as the Vice President to former President Barack Obama. While accepting the presidential nomination for Democratic party in August, Biden pledged to restore the "soul of America", and be an "ally of the light, not the darkness." He was rewarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction for his loyalty to the first African American President, Obama.

The 77-year-old senator said, "The current president has cloaked America in darkness for much too long. Too much anger. Too much fear. Too much division. If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I will be an ally of the light, not of the darkness."

Biden has a good record of being an advocate of Indo-US relations, both as a senator and Vice President. He has played a key role in the passage of India-US civil nuclear deal during a Republican administration. He has strong ties with the Indian leadership across the aisle and has a large number of Indian-Americans within his close circuit.

At a fundraiser event in July, Biden had said the US and India were natural partners. When he was asked whether India is critical to the US' national security, he said, "That partnership, a strategic partnership, is necessary and important in our security."

Referring to his eight years as the vice president, Biden said that he was proud to have played a role in securing Congressional approval for the US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement.

The senator was born in 1942 to a Catholic family in Pennsylvania. He studied at the University of Delaware and then earned a law degree from Syracuse University in 1968. He was first elected as a senator in 1972 and served six terms for the state of Delaware. At the age of 29, he was one of the youngest people to be elected to the US Senate.

Known for blunt talk, he openly speaks about his family's tragedies. The tragedies include 1972 car crash that killed his first wife Neilia and their 13-month-old daughter Naomi, while his sons Beau and Hunter were critically injured in the accident.

Biden met Jill Jacobs, his second wife in 1975, and they married in June 1977.

Biden had a health scare in 1988 when he suffered two brain aneurysms. In the campaigns, he has also declared: "Healthcare is personal to me."

He secured his democratic nomination when his last competitor Senator Bernie Sanders dropped out in April 2020. He has also faced allegations from a former staffer, Tara Reade in 2019, who said she felt uncomfortable with Biden during her time in his Senate office in the 90s.

In March, she also accused him of sexual assault in 1993. However, Biden and his campaign team have strongly denied the allegation.

Biden has been very vocal about his support towards LGBT rights, calling himself "absolutely comfortable" with the idea of same-sex marriage.

Former US President Obama officially endorsed Biden in April. He has praised him, saying, "Biden is my brother. I love Joe Biden. And he will be a great president and he treats everyone with dignity and with respect".

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