Dynamite News
Mulayam backs NDA Presidential nominee Ramnath Kovind
"Ram Nath Kovind is a good candidate. I have a very old relation with him. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has selected a strong candidate. The most important thing is that the BJP has a majority..." Mulayam said.
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday extended his support to NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind, saying that he is a deserving candidate.
"Ram Nath Kovind is a good candidate. I have a very old relation with him. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has selected a strong candidate. The most important thing is that the BJP has a majority. Can't say what will opposition decide now," Mulayam said.
Earlier, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik extended full support to NDA's presidential nominee, Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind, saying that the decision to elect President is above political considerations.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to me about the Presidential nominee. He sought support of the candidature of Ram Nath Kovind. So, BJD has decided to extend its support to Kovind," he said.
He was speaking to the media here after congratulating Kovind. Nitish also said that "I had a word with Laluji and Sonia Gandhi and there will be discussion on this. I have told them about my views".
Telangana Chief Minister and TRS Chief Rao also extended his support to NDA's presidential candidate after speaking to Prime Minister Modi.
Following the announcement, Prime Minister Modi reached out to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to seek the grand old party's support for Kovind.
Prime Minister Modi also spoke to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E. Palaniswamy over NDA's presidential candidate pick.
The Prime Minister said that Kovind will make an exceptional President and continue to be a strong voice for the poor, downtrodden and marginalised.
.The election for the next President of India is to be held on July 17 as President Pranab Mukherjee will demit the office on July 24. (ANI)