After filing his nomination papers for the Presidential election on Friday, NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind is all set to reach out to his electoral college, beginning from Uttar Pradesh on June 25.

The BJP is keen to exploit Kovind’s candidature – he is a Koli (sub-caste of Dalit) from Kanpur – in Uttar  Pradesh, which has the maximum electorate.

The Kolis are traditionally weavers and also have a presence in Gujarat, Rajasthan,
Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.

Kovind plans to visit a few states, including Gujarat, ahead of the July 17 election.
A party general secretary involved in the poll strategy and preparation said Kovind’s tour was being worked out. The finer details would be known after ascertaining the availability of supporting chief ministers and senior leaders in the states he would visit.
At the time of filing the nomination, 20 chief ministers and representatives of 28 parties had come to Parliament to lend their support to Kovind.

However, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik were not present.

A BJP leader attributed Thackeray’s absence to a “miscommunication”. Meanwhile, Sena MP Anandrao Adsul had signed papers to exhibit the party’s support for Kovind.