Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday said her party will not oppose Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind's candidature as presidential nominee unless the opposition announces a popular Dalit name.
"We are not against Ram Nath Kovind's nomination. It would have been better if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had taken all opposition parties into confidence before announcing the name.
"As he is a Dalit, we can't oppose his name, but only if the united opposition doesn't announce a popular Dalit name," said Mayawati.
"We are also of the opinion that it would have been better if the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had named some non-political Dalit person for the post of President," she added.
The BJP on Monday named Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind, a Dalit and a BJP leader, as the ruling NDA's candidate for the July 17 presidential election.
--IANS
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