IANS
Patna/New Delhi, June 21: The opposition Wednesday suffered a big blow with JD-U deciding to back the NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the President’s election boosting the numbers for the ruling side while the rivals made it clear that they will put up a candidate.
The setback for the opposition came at a meeting of JD-U legislators and MPs in which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and several MLAs expressed their opinion that the NDA candidate and his credentials are good given that he hails from a Dalit community and has a humble background. With possible support of JD-U, the vote share of NDA in the Electoral College go up to almost 63 per cent.
“The party has decided to support Ram Nath Kovind. As the party has decided to support Kovind, there is no need for it to attend the meeting of opposition parties being held in New delhi,” said JD-U spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan. He also said his party’s decision has been conveyed to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and RJD chief Lalu Prasad.
Earlier, JD-U Chief Whip Ratnesh Sada told reporters in Patna that the party has decided to support Kovind. Wednesday’s decision yet again confirms Nitish Kumar’s style of taking decisions on his own irrespective of his allies’ position and his political opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Soon after the BJP had announced Kovind’s candidature Monday, Nitish Kumar had good words to say about the former Bihar Governor on whom, he also made a courtesy call. Nitish Kumar is known to take independent decision like his welcoming the demonetisation decision and surgical strikes last year and the JD-U voting for UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee while sharing power with BJP in the state.
The JD-U decision came as a shock for the 17-party front led by Congress which is meeting in New Delhi Thursday to decide on its strategy in the Presidential election.