Next President of India: Kerala CM dubs Kovind as BJP's 'political candidate'

The Janada Dal-United earlier on Wednesday decided to extend its support to NDA's Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 21: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind is a 'political candidate' of the BJP and his candidature would be "faced" politically.

A decision on whether to put up a combined opposition candidate against Kovind would be taken at the national level, Vijayan said.

"The main consideration of the BJP in nominating Ram Nath Kovind to the post of president is that he is a leader of BJP," the chief minister told reporters .

"He is political, a candidate of the BJP and so naturally his candidature will be faced politically," he added.

Asked about his personal view on Kovind, the CPI-M leader said, "None of us know him."

The CPI-M and other opposition parties will be meeting in Delhi on June 22 to discuss next steps on the presidential elections.

The Janada Dal-United earlier on Wednesday decided to extend its support to NDA's Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind. This decision by the JD-U will put Congress on a sticky wicket as the united opposition's meeting on Kovind's candidature is scheduled for tomorrow.

PTI