Kovind Visits City, Seeks TS Legislators' Support

NDA Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind today arrived in Hyderabad to seek the votes of MPs and MLAs of Telangana.

Kovind was warmly welcomed at the Begumpet airport when he arrived from Delhi. Union ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Bandaru Dattatreya, state BJP leaders including Dr K Laxman, and Telangana ministers including Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali and Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy were present on the occasion.

Kovind straightaway proceeded to Harith Plaza, where he held a meeting with BJP leaders. Besides Naidu, Dattatreya and Laxman, MLAs G Kishan Reddy, N V S S Prabhakar and Ramchender Rao, and BJP national secretary Muralidhar Rao attended the meeting.

Earlier, YSR Congress Party and Telangana TDP leaders, too, called on Kovind at Harith Plaza. The YSRCP group was led by party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy who was accompanied by senior party leaders including MPs Vijayasai Reddy, Mekapati Rajmohan Reddy and Umareddy Venkateswarlu, and MLAs. Jagan welcomed Kovind with a shawl and introduced all his party MPs and MLAs to him. The YSRCP supremo has already announced his party's support to Kovind - in fact, the party announced its support to Kovind as soon as his candidature was finalized by the BJP. The BJP president Amit Shah had also called Jaganmohan Reddy on the phone and sought his party's support for the NDA candidate.

Telangana TDP leaders, too, met Kovind at Harith Plaza and extended support to him. TDP national president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has already announced his party's support to Kovind (the TDP is an ally of the NDA). TDP MP Garikapati Mohan Rao, MLAs R Krishnaiah and Sandra Venkata Veeraiah, former MLA Vijayarama Rao, former member of Rajya Sabha Ravula Chandrashekar Reddy and TDP State SC Cell president Botla Srinivas met Kovind and assured him of all necessary support.

Later, Kovind proceeded to Jal Vihar, where he was extended a warm welcome to by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, and TRS MLAs and MPs. Much to the delight of Kovind, the Chief Minister spoke in Hindi. Reiterating support for the NDA Presidential candidate, KCR said that he was proud to be supporting Kovind, and exuded confidence that Kovind would win the election by a thumping majority. He said that he would seek blessings of Kovind after the latter's victory in the elections, for the speedy development of Telangana. The event was attended by Venkaiah Naidu and Bandaru Dattatreya, too.