BJD to support Kovind

Bhubaneswar, June 20: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday said his Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will support NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

His announcement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Patnaik over the telephone this evening.

"The Prime Minister spoke to me about the candidature of Ramnath Kovind as the Presidential nominee. He sought the support of the BJD in this regard.

"As you all know, last time when the Presidential elections happened, BJD had proposed the name of P.A. Sangma, an eminent leader from the tribal community. Based on the request of BJD, many parties including the BJP had supported his nomination," said Patnaik.

Against this backdrop and the fact that Kovind is an eminent lawyer belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, after discussing with the senior party leaders, BJD had decided to support his candidature, he added.

He said the Office of the President of India is above political considerations and BJD wants to keep it above politics.

Earlier on Monday, Patnaik said that his BJD will decide on Kovind after discussion between senior party leaders.