Terming Gujarat as his home away from home, National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind said that for some or other reason he kept on travelling the State for the past 35 years.
Accompanied by Union Minister Nitin Gadakari and BJP’s national secretary Vijay Vargiya, Kovind was welcomed by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy CM Nitin Patel, Gujarat BJP’s senior leaders and leaders of Koli community at Sardar Patel Airport in Ahmedabad on Saturday evening.
“Gujarat gave two Prime Ministers to the nation. I am feeling blessed to be on the soil of Gujarat,’’ said Kovind before he went to Swarnim Sankul building at Gandhinagar to address MPs, MlAs and senior BJP leaders from Gujarat. Addressing them he said that he worked with former Prime Minister Morarji Desai as Officer on Special Duty (OSD). He also remembered former Gujarat Chief Minister Hitendra Desai on the occasion and told his fond memories with both the leaders.
Kovind explained detail pertaining to presidential voting system as well as its technicality to eligible voters — MPs and MlAs.
Ahead of the meeting, Kovind and others present in the meeting kept 2-minutes silence to pay homage to victims of terror attack who were returning back from Amarnath shrine earlier this month. He condemned the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims near Anantnag in militancy affected Jammu & Kashmir in which pilgrims from Gujarat and Maharashtra lost their lives. Kovind spent around three hours in the State and flown back to Delhi on late Sunday night.
It is worth mentioning that as per the schedule BJP’s national president Amit Shah was to accompany Kovind but he couldn’t come to his home-State due to some important work and hence Gadkari and Vijayvargiya joined him. Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani said that he and other BJP leaders in the State were honoured to welcome not only NDA’s presidential candidate but also the future President of India.
The presidential poll will take place at Parliament House in New Delhi as well as all the State legislative Assembly Secretariats on Monday July 17, 2017. For the prestigious race to Raisina Hills former Bihar Governor Kovind is contesting against former Speaker of lok Sabha Meira Kumar.