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Bihar ki beti, Meira is Opposition pick to fight Kovind
The Opposition on Thursday chose former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as their candidate to take on National Democratic Alliance’s presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind for the next month’s election.
New Delhi: The Opposition on Thursday chose former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as their candidate to take on National Democratic Alliance’s presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind for the next month’s election.
Born in Bihar’s Arrah district, Meira Kumar is the daughter of prominent Dalit leader and former deputy prime minister Jagjivan Ram, and freedom fighter Indrani Devi. Meira Kumar, like Kovind, belongs to the Scheduled Caste.
In 2004, Meira Kumar was inducted into the Manmohan Singh Cabinet, as minister of social justice and empowerment, in the Congress-led UPA government. She then assumed charge as the Union minister for water resources in the UPA government in 2009.
Meira Kumar was elected Speaker of the Lok Sabha in 2009, becoming the first woman Speaker of the country. She served as the Speaker till 2014. The candidature of Meira Kumar could put JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar in a spot after his party announced on Wednesday that they would support Kovind.
By fielding Meira Kumar, the Opposition has sought to put the Bihar Chief Minister on the defensive. Meira Kumar comes from Sasaram in Bihar.
The Opposition, including RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, would appeal to all MPs and MLAs from Bihar to vote for Meira Kumar, state's pride, rather than an outsider. They would seek to split JD (U) on the issue of backing a Bihar ki beti.
