Ram Nath Kovind is NDA’s pick for President

The BJP on Monday caught the Opposition napping by announcing the candidature of the low-profile Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind, a Dalit from the politically critical Uttar Pradesh, for the post of President. The nomination will be filed on June 23

“For the highest post in parliamentary democracy, the BJP and the NDA have been consulting different parties. We received feedback from different social groups as well. We had a long list, which was discussed in the Parliamentary Board. In the end, we finalised the name of Ram Nath Kovind,” said BJP President Amit Shah.

The ruling party made the right noises about evolving a consensus on Kovind’s name, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialling Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. But it seemed confident that it had managed to unsettle the Opposition and strike the right note with its allies. Barring the Shiv Sena, which has been dithering, the other allies welcomed the BJP’s move.

The announcement has confused the Opposition camp. The JD(U) said it was happy about Kovind’s nomination, but added that the question of support could be addressed only after discussions with the other Opposition parties. The BSP said it was “positive” on Kovind’s name and added that it would support the Opposition’s candidate only if they fielded a Dalit candidate.

The principal Opposition party, the Congress, was unhappy that Kovind’s name was announced without consultations with the Opposition. The Left parties said the Opposition will field a candidate after a meeting on Thursday. They said Kovind is unacceptable as he ideologically belongs to the Sangh Parivar.

The President is chosen by the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and Assemblies of the States and Union Territories. Each MP accounts for 708 votes while the value of an MLA’s vote varies in line with the population of the State that s/he represents.

The total pool is about 10.99 lakh votes, with nearly half coming from the 4,120 MLAs and the other half from 776 MPs of both Houses.

With its victory in UP and additional seats won in other States, the BJP and its allies now hold over 47.5 per cent of the entire pool. It has also garnered support from parties like the YSR Congress, which has nearly 2 per cent, and the TRS, which has 1.6 per cent. The AIADMK, which holds about 5.4 per cent of the value of votes, has also been making favourable noises.

So, while the BJP has said it will look for a consensus, it has the best chance of appointing a candidate of its choice. In all likelihood, Ram Nath Kovind will become the second Dalit President of India after KR Narayanan.

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