"With his illustrious legal background in the legal area, Kovind's knowledge and understanding of the Constitution will benefit the nation", the PM said. "He is humble and non-controversial", Naidu said as he appealed to all political parties to support Kovind for the top constitutional office.
He has also headed groups that work to improve the conditions of Dalits, previously known as untouchables, who lie at the bottom of India's deeply entrenched social hierarchy.
"If someone is trying to make a Dalit a President with the goal of gaining a vote bank then we are not with them, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said. As far as support is concerned, can't say anything right now", said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Kovind would become the second Dalit President of India, after KR Narayanan who served as the President from 1997 to 2002.
In a rare instance of unity, all the elected members of the AP State Legislature will vote for Ram Nath Kovind.
He said the meetings with opposition parties was a formality.
The BJP has lined up its Union ministers and senior leaders of its allies as proposers and seconders for filing the nomination papers of the presidential candidate.
France elects record number of women to parliament
Melenchon also honed in on the record low turnout, saying: "The French people are now engaged in a sort of civic general strike". Mr Macron's prime minister, Edouard Philippe , said: "A year ago, no one would have imagined such a political renewal".
In a boost to the NDA's choice of candidate in the presidential election, the ruling TRS in Telangana today backed the BJP's nominee and claimed it had suggested earlier fielding a Dalit candidate.
Though the main opposition parties did not criticise Kovind, who emerged as a dark horse, they kept their cards close to the chest on whether they would back him.
It has been learned that JD (U) and BSP indicated they were not opposed to Kovind's candidature. A name they have considered is former speaker Meira Kumar, also a Dalit and the daughter of former Prime Minister Jagjivan Ram, but it's not a candidature that will set the Yamuna afire. He also stressed, for good measure, that Kovind was from the RSS' ranks and that makes this a direct political fight.
That Kovind was a virtual unknown - he contested and lost the Lok Sabha election in 1991 from Ghattampur in Uttar Pradesh and the 2007 assembly election from Bhognipur - gave heft to many detractors in the opposition.
The Sangh Parivar will be delighted as this is the first time that an unabashedly loyal "saffron soldier", as an important BJP leader described him to me, will occupy Rashtrapati Bhavan.
He said he congratulated Kovind on his nomination. "In this backdrop and considering the fact that Shri Kovind is an eminent lawyer belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, BJD, after discussing with senior leaders of the party has chose to support his candidature", said CM Naveen.
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