Hopefuls reach out to MPs as numbers favour Ram Nath Kovind

NEW DELHI: Both the NDA and the Opposition got their flock together on the eve of presidential elections where only the margin of victory for the ruling party candidate Ram Nath Kovind is now the talking point as the numbers are stacked against Meira Kumar.

While addressing NDA MPS in Parliament complex on Sunday, PM Modi asked them not to waste their votes in the elections. He underlined that 40 political parties have come out in support of Kovind which shows the growing clout of NDA. He further said CMs of non-NDA-ruled states, like Odisha, Bihar, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, were too backing Kovind.

Hailing the campaign, the PM said both sides maintained decorum and there was no bitterness or acrimony in the run-up to the polls.

Striking a light note, Modi said Kovind had once worked as an assistant to former PM Morarji Desai and now he would get an opportunity to work as a “sahayak” to Kovind once he becomes President.

Meanwhile, Opposition presidential candidate Meira Kumar and vice-presidential candidate Gopal Krishna Gandhi met MPs belonging to parties supporting their candidature. The Opposition parties are tactically using these polls as a “political fight” to signal their coming together. Addressing the Opposition gathering, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi said: “The numbers may be against us, but the battle must be fought and fought hard...We must have confidence in the values we believe in.”