Ram Nath Kovind is a Dalit, belonging to a small non-Jatav community, traditionally, a deprived sub-segment even within the Dalits. He is from Uttar Pradesh, a lawyer and politician of long standing, and has had strong ties with the RSS. An experienced administrator, he was once executive assistant to Morarji Desai, the late Prime Minister.
BJP President Amit Shah said he will talk to leaders of all the major political parties and seek their support to emerge as a 'consensus candidate' for the top post.
If elected, which appears to be a certainty, the 71-year-old former lawyer would be only the second Dalit to occupy the Rashtrapati Bhavan after K R Narayanan.
Shri Nam Nath Kovind met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah on Monday evening after he touched down in Delhi from Patna.
