'As he is a Dalit we are positive on his name,' says Mayawati over Kovind's appointment as Presidential candidate

New Delhi: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati on Monday said she is "positive" over the announcement of Ram Nath Kovind as NDA's Presidential candidate. "As he is a Dalit we are positive on his name, but only if the opposition doesn't announce a popular Dalit name," Mayawati said. "We are also of the opinion that it would have been better if NDA had named some non-political Dalit person as the Presidential nominee," she added. BJP Chief Amit Shah on Monday declared the name of Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind as NDA's Presidential candidate and said that he has spoken to Sonia Gandhi and various other opposition leaders to come to a consensus on the same. While expressing his certainty towards Kovind's election as President of India, Shah said, "By and large all NDA parties have agreed to Ram Nath Kovind's name for the Presidential poll". Just few hours after, BJP Chief Amit Shah on Monday declared the name of Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind as NDAs Presidential candidate and said that he has spoken to Sonia Gandhi and various other opposition leaders to come to a consensus on the same, Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad claimed that BJP has taken "one-sided decision". "BJP has taken one-sided decision", said Azad on the Presidential candidate.