Presidential election: Now it is fight between Kovind and Meera

Now it is fight between Kovind and Meera

New Delhi: Former Lok Sabha speaker and senior Congress leader Meira Kumar is Opposition's candidate to take on NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind for Presidential elections.

The decision was taken after Opposition parties met in the national capital on Thursday, 22^nd June 2017. Announcing the Kumar's candidature, Sonia said, "We will appeal to all political parties to support Presidential candidate Meira Kumar."

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Sharad Pawar (NCP), Sitaram Yechury from CPI(M), D Raja (CPI), Darek O' Brien (TMC), Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), Satish Chandra Mishra (BSP), Omar Abdullah (NC), Kanimozhi (DMK) and Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge attended the meet.

Cracks had appeared in the Opposition ahead of Thursday's crucial meeting, with the JD(U) deciding to stay out of the talks after extending its support to NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind yesterday.

Ram Nath Kovind (born 1 October 1945) is the NDA candidate in the Presidential Election of India. Kovind is a Dalit leader^[ and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).He was Governor of Bihar from 2015 to 2017.

On 19 June 2017, BJP president Amith Shah declared Kovind the NDA candidate for the post of President of India.