Kovind’s Prez poll campaign begins in Lucknow today

Lucknow: The BJP in Uttar Pradesh is preparing to muster additional support for its presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind. The BJP and its allies have 325 members in the 403-member UP Assembly but leaders are now eyeing additional support from the SP, the BSP and the Congress.

The NDA presidential candidate, Mr Kovind, will be in Lucknow on Sunday to launch his election campaign. He will be accompanied by one Union minister and will meet BJP MPs and MLAs. He is unlikely to meet any MLA from the Opposition now. However, he may call on some Opposition leaders to seek their support.

“We have sufficient numbers to ensure the victory of Mr Kovind but we want to send a strong message to the Opposition by making a dent in their own parties,” said a BJP leader. The easiest target for the BJP is the Samajwadi Party.

While SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has announced his support to Opposition candidate Meira Kumar, father Mulayam Singh Yadav has decided to support the NDA candidate.

Shivpal Yadav, whose differences with Akhilesh are well known, said on Saturday,

“My leader is Mulayam Singh Yadav and I will do what he tells me to do,” Shivpal said.

According to sources in the SP, there could be about half a dozen other party MLAs who vote against the party line.

The BSP is also a soft target and four of its 19 MLAs have been contacted by BJP leaders. These MLAs have assured their support to Mr Kovind.

The lone NISHAD party MLA and three independents are likely to go with BJP’s choice in the presidential elections.

“There is no use wasting our vote for one who is not winning,” said one MLA.

Mr Kovind, 71, was born in Paraunkh village in Kanpur Dehat in Uttar Pradesh and belongs to the Dalit community, which has sizeable presence in the state. It is because of his connection with UP that Mr Kovind is launching his campaign there.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission team took stock of the preparations and held a meeting with Vidhan Sabha officials on the poll arrangements.

For the first time, a special pen and ink would be brought to Lucknow from Delhi to be used by voters to mark their preference of candidates. For presidential elections, votes are marked in a preferential order which is then counted to declare the winner.