NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind files his nomination to contest Prez poll

Kovind was accompanied by a team of senior  BJP leaders, including party President Amit Shah and veterans like  LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi .

While interacting with media, Kovind said: "I will try to maintain the dignity of the post and keep it non-political. We are heading towards India's 75th year of Independence, so I will try to work towards the development of the nation. I thank Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other parties who extended their support to me."

In the morning, PM Modi tweeted to say, "Will accompany Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji as he files his nomination papers today for the upcoming Presidential election."

Nitish Kumar's JD(U) extended their support to the NDA nominated candidate. The BSP initially had supported Kovind, but  later switched in favour of the opposition choice.

Countering the Presidential nominee of BJP-led NDA, the Opposition selected former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar to contest the poll, on Thursday, thus giving it a Dalit vs Dalit twist.

Both candidates of the NDA and the Opposition are Dalits, which had raised the topic of playing caste card in the political field.

While Kovind comes from Uttar Pradesh, Kumar is of Bihar origin.

Kovind is in a favourable position to become the next president as NDA bags the required number of electoral votes.

Pranab Mukherjee's term as the president will expire in the month of July.

Image: Official Twitter handle of Narendra Modi.