 "Presidential Election 2017: Ram Nath Kovind resigns as Bihar guv; Keshari Nath Tripathi takes charge")
New Delhi: Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind has resigned from the his post as the governor. The resignation follows his nomination as the ruling National Democratic Alliance’s presidential candidate. President Pranab Mukherjee has accepted the resignation of Kovind as the governor of Bihar, a communique issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said on Tuesday. West Bengal governor Keshari Nath Tripathi will discharge the functions of the governor of Bihar, in addition to his own duties, it said. The BJP on Monday announced the name of 71-year-old Kovind, a low-profile Dalit leader and a two-term BJP Rajya Sabha member, as its nominee for the president’s post. Kovind met home minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Met Shri Ram Nath Kovind ji. I conveyed my best wishes to him on his nomination as NDA's candidate for the office of President of India pic.twitter.com/HF95QtyEyQ
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 20, 2017
Kovind met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah after he arrived in New Delhi on Monday evening from Patna. He drove down to Shah’s residence where he was greeted by senior BJP leaders. He stayed at the BJP chief’s residence for nearly an hour where both are believed to have discussed the formalities related to the presidential poll. He said he was a “small citizen” entrusted with a big responsibility. “All those who are members of the electoral college…I will meet leaders of major political parties and seek their support…I hope that every citizen will support me,” he said. The presidential election is scheduled for 17 July. Mukherjee completes his five-year term on 24 July.
