Ram Nath Kovind’s win as President elect has not changed the winds for already reigning BJP. The saffron party’s flag is flying far and wide. From garnering higher support to increasing acceptability across all regions of India. The recent presidential election win boosted the party’s confidence for the upcoming 2019 elections.
Opposition party Congress claims that their candidate Meira Kumar won the most votes by an opposition candidate. Nonetheless, BJP’s firmness has not eroded a bit owing to this news.
Contrasting Times: 2013 and before
“Usually BJP would, as the opposition party, get less than a third of the vote in such a contest. It’s the other way around now,” said BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav, Kovind’s election manager.
PM Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah took to Twitter to express gratitude and appreciation for the newly elect.
It is our great privilege that 1st time BJP had an opportunity to nominate a President on its own, a member of Dalit community was chosen. pic.twitter.com/QV83OP8Pcg
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 20, 2017
BJP chief Amit Shah described Ram Nath Kovind’s President election as a “victory for the poor, downtrodden and marginalized and their aspirations”.
Presidential election Win: BJP strong foothold
The party’s victory in the Presidential elections reflects a fortunate future for the party. Kovind’s victory will engender strong pan-India coalition ahead of the 2019 elections. Being a Dalit, the BJP’s are in a comfortable position in collecting votes from the Dalit community.
“More than 30 MPs in excess to our calculations voted for Kovind,” said a senior BJP leader. The advantage was somewhat lost with BJP calculating that 13 of 21 MPs who cast invalid votes were from its camp.
How International Press reacted to Ram Nath Kovind’s win
“Kovind’s victory caps a series of top appointments by Modi, strengthening the grip of the Hindu right on public offices, such as governors, state chief ministers and the heads of universities. Earlier this week, the BJP named a cabinet minister also with strong Hindu nationalist roots as its vice president candidate for an election to be held in August,” the report by british Daily said.
