Nitish Kumar's Party Reminisces About BJP As Ally. Your Move, Lalu Yadav

Over freshly-cut mangoes this morning, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar entertained spokespersons from his party with anecdotes of his political past. But the real agenda of the breakfast chat was to make it clear that a truce has been crafted with ally Lalu Yadav, and that the name-calling that is exactly a week old must end.

Meira Kumar, the joint opposition's candidate for President, today thanked the 17 parties that have backed her for the country's top post and said she would launch her campaign from Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat. She is yet to file her nomination papers but has already appealed to lawmakers who elect the President to follow their "inner conscience" when...

Opposition's Presidential candidate Meira Kumar held a press conference in New Delhi.

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar today made her debut on social networking site Twitter, days after her nomination as the opposition's presidential candidate.

Leaders of 16 other parties who are vouching for Meira Kumar, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, are expected to be present during the filing of nomination.

Each of the three members of Bihar's ruling alliance is achieving scale in their attacks on each other. Today, it was the Congress that with great gusto took on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, accusing him of result-driven convictions.

With the declaration of Meira Kumar as the opposition candidate for President, pitting her against BJP candidate Ram Nath Kovind - open hostilities have started ahead of the July 17 Presidential elections.

The security cover of the opposition's presidential nominee Meira Kumar has been upgraded to the top most 'Z+' category, under which she will have round-the-clock protection of armed security personnel.

National Democratic Alliance's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind will be travelling to the bigger states where he would talk to members of the electoral college.

Venkaiah Naidu said it did consult the Congress over nomination Ram Nath Kovind as it presidential candidate even though the Congress has claimed the opposite.

Though Rahul Gandhi is missing as his Congress party leads the opposition's contest for the President of India, he is on top of it, said his partyman Jyotiraditya Scindia in an interview to NDTV. "You and I are both aware that he (Rahul) wasn't there in Delhi but, he is very much involved in the dialogue and selection process".

AIADMK (Amma) faction leader TTV Dhinakaran today announced the camp's support to NDA's candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the July 17 presidential poll. Mr Dhinakaran made the announcement as per the "orders" of jailed party chief VK Sasikala, and said all the lawmakers in the faction as well as MLAs in the Assemblies of both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will support Mr Kovin...

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today made it clear that while he deeply respects Meira Kumar, the opposition's candidate for President, he will not reconsider his decision to back Ram Nath Kovind, the BJP's nominee for the country's top post.

Ram Nath Kovind, who has been chosen by the BJP for the post of President, filed his nomination papers in Parliament House in Delhi today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi accompanied the 71-year-old Mr Kovind along with many Chief Ministers, who have arrived in the national capital to support him.

The Congress has made Meira Kumar a "scapegoat" by fielding her as the opposition's presidential candidate, the BJP today said and questioned why the party did not nominate her when it was in a position to get her elected to the highest office.

The NDA's presidential pick, Ram Nath Kovind will file his nomination at Parliament house at 11 am today in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top leaders of the other parties supporting his candidature.

The choice of Meira Kumar who is from Bihar and a Jatav Dalit has certainly put Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in a tight spot politically which was the intent of Sonia Gandhi and RJD chief, Lalu Yadav, who are upset with Nitish Kumar's "defection" in saying his party will vote for Kovind.

It's not just that Nitish Kumar has chosen to stand with the BJP on the matter of who should be President of India that has his ally, the Congress, in a mood. It's also that Nitish Kumar's exit from the Congress-pivoted bloc of opposition parties was rather, well, splashy.

Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma's official residence in Akbar Road will be the new temporary address of BJP's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind. Mr Kovind will be staying at the expansive 10 Akbar Road bungalow in the heart of Lutyens' Delhi for about a month till the presidential election on July 17, top sources said.

"We have already supported him, haven't we," said an irritable Lalu Yadav to reporters, hours after his ally, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced his decision to back their rival BJP's candidate for President of India.

Meira Kumar, former Lok Sabha Speaker, will be the opposition's candidate for President against the BJP's nominee, Ram Nath Kovind. It was decided at a meeting of 17 parties chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Thursday evening. As expected, the Opposition has turned the presidential election into a Dalit vs Dalit contest and Lalu Yadav has appealed ...

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, who is among the opposition's likely presidential candidates, on Wednesday met Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

By backing the BJP's nominee for the President of India, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has become the mega-disruptor of the collated front of opposition parties that was pitched two months ago by him to other opposition leaders like Sonia Gandhi.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party the Janata Dal United officially announced on Wednesday evening that it will side with the Narendra Modi government and back Ram Nath Kovind for President. Senior leader KC Tyagi also said that the party will therefore not attend an opposition meeting on Thursday in Delhi to pick a candidate to field against Mr Kovind.