Presidential polls: Will ask Nitish to not back Kovind, says Lalu

He also says that there was no threat to the coalition government in Bihar

RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Thursday said he would meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in a bid to make him change his mind about supporting National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

There was no threat to the coalition government in Bihar, Lalu Yadav said, referring to his party's alliance with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) in the state.

"I will meet Nitish Kumar and will continue to urge him to change his decision of supporting the NDA candidate," he told reporters after attending the opposition meeting that picked former Speaker Meira Kumar as its candidate for president.
 

The JD(U)'s surprise decision to back Kovind had led to cracks in the opposition camp as its chief Nitish Kumar was the one who had initiated the process for a joint opposition strategy on the issue.

The opposition's move to field Kumar makes it a Dalit vs Dalit presidential poll.