Congress using Meira Kumar as 'sacrificial goat': BJP

A confident Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, while maintaining that the NDA Government's presidential nominee Ramnath Kovind will win with majority, said that the Congress Party is using Meira Kumar as a 'sacrificial goat' in this election.

Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar has been announced as the Opposition's Presidential nominee.

"Knowing completely well that she will be defeated, Congress is trying to make her a sacrificial goat in this election. Meira Kumar had chaired the speaker position with great dignity. Such a person should not have been chosen when they (Congress) were well aware that she will be losing," BJP leader S. Prakash told ANI.

The BJP leader also said that the grand old party is trying to pit a Dalit against another Dalit and dividing the society.

"Congress has been forced to tow the BJP line in selecting the presidential candidate. BJP forced Congress to pick a Dalit candidate as their own presidential candidature. Unfortunately, it is trying to pit Dalit versus Dalit and dividing the society in the process," he said.

Another BJP leader Shaina NC asserted that their nominee Ramnath Kovind will win the presidential election as they have more numbers in their basket.

"As a woman in public life, I would like to compliment Meira Kumar for her candidature, but I think at the end it is about numbers. As they say, let the best man or woman win, and in this particular case, clearly the NDA and our allies have the numbers," she told ANI.

The Opposition - Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI), and other parties - met yesterday to discuss the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) decision on Presidential nominee Ramnath Kovind, following which they announced their candidate.

The election for the next President of India is to be held on July 17 as President Pranab Mukherjee will demit the office on July 24.