"Ram Nath Kovind has always fought for the betterment of the Dalits and other backward castes", BJP chief Amit Shah said at a press conference to announce the party's candidate.
The opposition, led by the Congress Party, will reportedly meet on Thursday to decide whether to name a separate candidate or support Kovind.
Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who was part of the three-member panel formed to hold discussions and build a consensus on a presidential candidate, said the suggestions of opposition parties played a role in the NDA picking Kovind.
Naidu recalled that Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was unanimously elected as the president and there was an "understanding" among all the major parties when A P J Abdul Kalam was elected to the country's top constitutional post.
Meanwhile, the state Congress chief Ashok Choudhary too praised Mr. Kovind's tenure as a Bihar Governor and said "he (Mr Kovind) has been a good human being as he has been meeting him as an education minister of the state".
Mr Naidu met Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan, who has returned from London after undergoing treatment for heart ailment where the two leaders discussed the name of the presidential candidate.
Bihar Governor Ramnath Kovind is known for his proximity with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, but has also been a hard core supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetization drive that eliminates black money and corruption in the society.
Won't support BJP's Presidential candidate if it is for votebank: Uddhav Thackeray
Only last week, the Sena claimed that it could take an independent line on presidential elections, creating a flutter in the BJP. However, he said a final decision on the BJP candidate would be taken at a meeting of party leaders here scheduled for Tuesday.
This is published unedited from the PTI feed. While Paswan said that his party will support the decision made by PM Modi, the Samajwadi Party reportedly favoured a politician as the new President.
"Now, they have named a person with RSS background".
Communist Party of India leader D. Raja said the BJP's announcement was "non-transparent".
AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said the non-NDA parties will discuss the issue before taking any step.
"The Congress party doesn't want to comment on the name of the candidate announced by the NDA government".
Nitish Kumar also praised him for his exemplary work as Bihar Governor, for working impartially and maintaining an ideal relationship with the Bihar government.
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