In a setback to the Opposition’s plan to field a candidate for the presidential poll, the Janata Dal United (JDU) is likely to back the NDA pick Ram Nath Kovind. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told the party lawmakers to vote for Kovind in the upcoming president election on July 17.
Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar had phoned Sonia Gandhi, the Congress boss, in April to suggest a corralling of opposition parties over the election of the President of India. Mr. Kumar pitched the idea of a united opposition candidate as a test run for a Mahagathbandhan or grand Alliance for the general election in 2019.
JDU MLA and party chief whip Ratnesh Sada said:”We have decided to support Ram Nath Kovind.” The party MLAs gathered for a meeting in Patna to discuss the issue.
It has already been conveyed to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, and JDU’s alliance partner and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The BJP on Monday announced the name of the 71-year-old Kovind, a low-profile Dalit leader and a two-term BJP Rajya Sabha member, as its choice for President.
After this announcement, Nitish had met Kovind at Raj Bhawan in Patna and extended his wishes.
Though Nitish expressed happiness that the Bihar Governor would be the NDA’s candidate for the President elections, he had said a detailed discussion would be held on the matter within the JD(U).
Several non-allies of the BJP like BJD, TDP and factions of AIIDMK have alo backed Kovin’d candidture which has tilted the scales in the BJP’s favour.
With 71 MLA and two MPs, the JD(U) has substantial vote in terms of first preference votes on which a president is elected.
This is the second time when JD(U) has thrown a surprise in presidential polls by going against its allies. In 2012, it had supported Congress led UPA’s presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee defying the then coalition partner BJP’s pick P A Sangma for the post of ceremonial head of the country.
This time, JD(U)’s decision to go with BJP-led NDA’s pick for president has come as a setback to the Congress and Left parties which are keen to put up a strong fight in the presidential contest due to ideological differences with the BJP.
Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar is considered as one of the top candidates of the opposition for president’s post although a final decision is likely to made on Thursday when Congress chief Sonia Gandhi along with other opposition parties meet in New Delhi.
JD(U)’s senior partner in grand alliance, RJD adopted a guarded stance on Nitish Kumar’s decision to support Kovind stating that it would not have any impact on the health of the grand alliance government in Bihar. The RJD said there was past precedence of parties voting independently in presidential polls.
