The Presidential candidate of NDA, Ram Nath Kovind (71) will begin a nation-wide tour on June 25, stopping first in his home State Uttar Pradesh.

Kovind will address the members of the electoral college, that votes for the new President. In the UP leg of the tour, Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will be accompanying the former Bihar Governor.

According to BJP sources, Kovind would travel to the bigger states and at some places interact with the electoral college members from more than one state. He would discuss the issue with the MPs and MLAs of the parties, which have earlier announced their support to him.

Besides the MLAs from all state assemblies and Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members the electoral college comprise totaling 10,98,882 votes. The figure or the vote value is 708, of a member of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, while that of an MLA would depend on the population of the state he or she represents.

The BJP leaders of the State may reach out to opposition parties as well and ask them to attend meetings to be addressed by the Dalit leader. The BJP irrespective of their party position, hopes that it may get the support of people who would like to vote for Mr Kovind. The complete travel plan of Mr Kovind is still being finalized as it will also depend on the availability of state leaders, including NDA chief ministers and others supporting him, sources said.

After filing his nomination papers yesterday, the Dalit leader reached out to the opposition. He further asserted that the President’s office was above party politics and that he did not belong to a party. The former head of the BJP’s Dalit Morcha said, “Since I became the governor I do not belong to any political party.”

NDA's Presidential Candidate Ram Nath Kovind Files His Nomination Papers

SUPRAJA