Presidential poll: Setback for opposition unity, JD(U) to support Ram Nath Kovind

NEW DELHI/PATNA: Breaking ranks with its alliance partners Congress and RJD, JD(U) is set to support NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind .
"All the leaders have decided that we will support Ram Nath Kovind for the post of president. He is Bihar's first governor who has been nominated for this post. We are very happy with this, it is the matter of Bihar's development," JD (U) leader Ratnesh Sada told ANI after a meeting of party MLAs in Patna.
Nitish Kumar told his MLAs that Kovind, who was the Bihar governor before he was picked by the Bharatiya Janata Party for the top post, was "a good man", Sada said.
Coming out of the party's core committee meeting chaired by Nitish Kumar, Sada said most of the MLAs have assured the chief minister of their support.
However, the final announcement about JD(U)'s decision to support Ram Nath Kovind is likely to be made in the evening today.
JD(U)'s move to support Ram Nath Kovind's candidature is a setback for Congress's efforts to bring opposition parties together ahead of the presidential polls. Sonia Gandhi is set to chair a meeting of opposition parties on June 22 to take a final decision on the July 17 presidential election.
BJP president Amit Shah on Monday announced Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind would be the government's candidate for the country's top post.
Other important regional players - AIADMK, BJD, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, YSR Congress - have already thrown in their lot with the NDA.
Nitish Kumar, who left the NDA in protest against Narendra Modi's projection as PM candidate but who now shares a good working relationship with the latter, has often diverged from his coalition partners, RJD and Congress, on important issues. He supported demonetisation and disapproved of those who questioned the authenticity of `surgical strikes' India carried out last year in retaliation against the terror attack on the Army's Uri camp.
He extended support for GST when Congress, Trinamool and others in the opposition seemed reluctant to support the radical tax reform.
(With inputs from agencies)