Ram Nath Kovind: How social media reacted to NDA's Presidential candidate

Ram Nath Kovind. (Photo: Twitter)

Earlier today BJP named Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind, a Dalit and a BJP leader, as the ruling NDA's candidate for the July 17 Presidential election. The tenure of Pranab Mukherjee as the President of India will be over on July 24 and there was a lot of buzz surrounding the candidates in the reckoning for the position.
 

The names which were doing the rounds for Presidency included External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. After much speculation and mystery, NDA today announced the name of Kovind as NDA’s presidential candidate.
 

The decision was taken after a BJP Parliamentary Board meeting. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, and other political leaders," Amit Shah said.
 

Narendra Modi also took to Twitter and, in a series of tweets, said, "Ram Nath Kovind, a farmer's son, comes from a humble background. He devoted his life to public service & worked for poor and marginalised. With his illustrious background in the legal arena, Shri Kovind's knowledge and understanding of the Constitution will benefit the nation. I am sure Shri Ram Nath Kovind will make an exceptional President & continue to be a strong voice for the poor, downtrodden and marginalised."
 

Who is Ramnath Kovind?
 

Ramnath Kovind, a lawyer by profession, began his career in 1971. He is a Hindutva ideologue by thinking, a dedicated BJP worker by political affiliation and a Dalit leader by caste.
 

Kovind belongs to the Koli community Koli and had worked extensively in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He has also been BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha chief (1998-2002) and President of the All-India Koli Samaj.
 

Read also: Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind named NDA's presidential candidate

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Kovind hails from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Kovind is being credited with grooming several leaders for the BJP and the RSS.

He also served as national spokesperson for the party. Bharatiya Janta Party even tried of projecting him as an alternative to Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh.

On 8th of August 2015, the President of India appointed him the Governor of Bihar. He was elected to Rajya Sabha from the state of Uttar Pradesh for two terms, 1994-2000 and 2000-2006.
 

Kovind served as a member of the board of management of BR Ambedkar University, Lucknow. He also served as a member of the board of governors of Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.
 

Bihar Governor Ramnath Kovind is also known for his proximity with Home Minister Rajnath Singh but has also been a hardcore supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation drive.
 

How are the political leaders reacting?
 

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan extended full support to the NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, saying his choice is a political masterstroke by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

He also asked opposition parties to support the Dalit candidate, claiming that if they put up a candidate against Kovind then they would be seen as "anti-Dalit".

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her surprise at this nomination. She said that there are “other big Dalit leaders” in the country. “I am not for a moment saying that the Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind is unfit to be the President. There are other big Dalit leaders in India. He was the leader of Dalit Morcha of BJP, so they have made him candidate”, she said.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said, “It is a matter of happiness for me personally. As far as support is concerned, can’t say anything right now.

How did social media react?
 

The name of Kovind as a presidential candidate was not expected and has generated many reactions as expected. Many users took to Twitter to show their surprise at the nomination. Few people seem busy figuring out who Kovind is? Others also hailed the decision.

Here's how Twitter is reacting to the nomination:

No political party can oppose a Dalit for president; an uninspiring choice but politically strategic.Wish the new Prez well! #RamnathKovind