Union ministers, BJP leaders stream in to meet Prez pick

Several Union ministers and BJP leaders today met party's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind here to extend greetings, with some saying the Opposition "would be able to work" towards reaching a consensus on his nomination.
Kovind, who today resigned as Bihar Governor, spent his entire day at the Bihar Niwas, where a stream of visitors called on him with bouquets and best wishes.
The Union ministers, who paid a visit included Harsh Vardhan, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Anath Kumar and Ravi Shankar Prasad.
BJP national general secretary Bhupender Yadav and national general secretary (Organisation) Ram Lal held discussions on taking the process forward.

Earlier in the day, Kovind met Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who conveyed his best wishes on his nomination.
The BJP yesterday announced the name of the 71-year-old Kovind, a low-profile Dalit leader and a two-term BJP Rajya Sabha member, as its choice for the President.

Sources said after his resignation as the Bihar Governor, the official car, carrying the Ashoka emblem, has been taken away and a new vehicle has been assigned to him.
The presidential nominee has now been accorded a 'Z+' cover of NSG commandos by the Union government. The 'black cat' commandos have been deployed at the premises of Bihar Niwas, and around Kovind's new vehicle.

"The car carrying the Ashoka emblem was replaced with a new one, after he had resigned," a source said, adding, "he faxed his resignation".
The election of Kovind as India's 14th President is a virtual certainty with several non-NDA parties too lending their support to BJP's surprise candidature of the low-profile dalit leader and a former lawyer.
Senior BJP leader and Buxar MP Ashwini Kumar Choubey, also called on Kovind and said, the process has begun and soon, he (Kovind) would file his nominations.
"Bihar is his 'karmabhoomi' (place of work) and it is time a President be elected unanimously, as the first President Rajendra Prasad was, whose 'janmabhoomi' (place of birth) was Bihar," he told reporters at Bihar Niwas after meeting Kovind.

Asked if the Opposition would be able to reach a consensus on his nomination, "He is a man of calm and sobre disposition and enjoys good bonhomie with all. I think, it (Opposition) would be able to work towards reaching a consensus".
The Bihar BJP leader also said about "11-12 Bihar MLA proposers have already come up".
Security at the Bihar Niwas was also stepped up by evening time.
Kovind lost two elections- one Lok Sabha and one assembly- but the BJP ensured his political rise by sending him to the Rajya Sabha in 1994 and then in 2000.
A native Kanpur Dehat in Uttar Pradesh, he was appointed as the Governor of Bihar in August 2015.