Bihar Governor and NDA’s presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind today expressed hope that all political parties will back his candidature for July 17 elections.
"I appeal to all members of the electoral college who are MPs and MLAs from all political parties. I will appeal to them, I will meet them and take their blessings," Kovind told the media on his arrival from Patna.
Asked whether Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar extended his support when he called on him, the Bihar Governor said the JD(U) leader had made a courtesy call.
"As I am the Governor of Bihar, Nitishji made a courtesy call when he came to know about my nomination. Asked if the opposition will field a candidate against him, Kovind said: "I think I will have the support and blessings of every citizen of India," the Dalit leader said.
He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP family for reposing trust and entrusting such a big responsibility on ‘an ordinary citizen’.
On his arrival in Delhi airport, Kovind was greeted by a host of Union Ministers and BJP leaders including Thawar Chand Gehlot, JP Nadda, Bhupendra Yadav, Kailash Vijayvargiya and Manoj Tiwary.
Earlier, in Patna, Kovind said about his nomination, "It is a duty. Let us take it as a duty."
He said he had a lot of good wishes for Bihar, which he added had "rich culture, rich traditions and lot of heritage".
“My best wishes for prosperity and development of people of Bihar. I thank the people of Bihar for their support," he said.
Meanwhile, Kovind met PM Modi at the latter's official residence 7 Lok Kalyan Marg in national capital. BJP president Amit Shah was also present on the occasion.
The 71-year-old low profile Dalit leader, a two-term BJP Rajya Sabha member, is seen as an astute choice by the saffron party, which has been targeted by opposition parties over Dalit issues, and his election is almost a certainty as the ruling bloc with the support of some regional parties enjoys a majority in the electoral college. KR Narayanan was the country's first Dalit President.
