Bihar governor Kovind BJP pick for president
CASTE CARD? Candidature likely to help party warm up to Dalit communities
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party proposed Bihar governor and Dalit leader Ram Nath Kovind’s name for India’s next president on Monday, a move being seen as part of the party’s outreach towards the country’s backward castes.
At a press conference in Delhi after a meeting of the BJP’s parliamentary board, party chief Amit Shah announced the 71-year-old former lawyer and two-time Rajya Sabha MP’s name.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to Sonia Gandhi – president of the principal opposition Congress party – and former PM Manmohan Singh about the decision.
“Sonia ji has said that they will hold a discussion before a decision,” Shah told reporters.
Kovind’s candidature is likely to help the BJP warm up to India’s Dalit communities that make up more than 15% of the population and are electorally significant in many big states.
Prime Minister Modi said he was sure that Kovind will “will make an exceptional President”, highlighting the Bihar governor’s humble background.
The decision is likely to put many opposition leaders such as Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Lalu Prasad, Bahujan Samaj Party’s Mayawati and Samajwadi Party in a tight spot, because it might be difficult for them to oppose a Dalit leader due to political equations.
Kovind took over as the Bihar governor two years ago. He studied law from Kanpur University and was central government’s standing council in the Supreme Court between 1980 and 1993. The old Dalit leader from Kanpur also served the national spokesman of the BJP.
He was elected and became a member of the Upper House in April 1994 from Uttar Pradesh and served for two consecutive terms till March, 2006.
Kovind also headed the BJP’s Scheduled Caste Morcha between 1999 and 2002, the period during which Modi was BJP’s general secretary (organisation). He comes from the Koli community, which is classified as scheduled caste in Uttar Pradesh.
The decision comes amid protracted negotiations in the Opposition camp to zero in on a consensus candidate – seen as an opportunity to rally parties for a grand anti-BJP coalition before the 2019 general elections.
The consensus candidate of NDA for the post of the President, Ram Nath Kovind, has been a Dalit leader, a lawyer and a BJP worker.
Hailing from Paraukhan village in Kanpur Dehat in Uttar Pradesh, Kovind was born on October 1, 1945, and is the fifth and youngest son of late Maiku Lal. He studied at a primary school in Paraukhan and later joined a school in Khanpur, four kilometres from his village.
He left his village at the age of 13 for higher studies. He pursued intermediate at BNSD Inter College in Kanpur and completed graduation from DAV College and LLB from DC Law College.
Kovind moved to Delhi to practice law at the Supreme Court in 1975 and was appointed as the officer on special duty at the Prime Minister’s office during the tenure of Morarji Desai.
His son Prashant and daughter Swati are working in Indian Airlines and his daughter-in-law Gauri is a teacher.
Kovind contested Lok Sabha election from Ghatampur on a BJP ticket in 1990 but lost. From 1994-2002, he was nominated to Rajya Sabha from UP. He also served as the national president of the BJP from 1998 to 2002 and was elected the president of the All-India Kori Samaj.