ISAS Briefs

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has surprised many by choosing a Dalit leader, Ram Nath Kovind, as its nominee for the election of the country’s fourteenth president. The Dalits, consisting of former ‘untouchables’ are often seen as the country’s most-disadvantaged social group. A seasoned lawyer, a two-term Member of Parliament and Governor of the Indian State of Bihar at the time he was chosen as the BJP’s presidential nominee, Kovind has the potential of being a winning candidate in the election due to take place on 17 July 2017. The entire political discourse now seems to centre on the fact that he is a Dalit leader. Indeed, the BJP’s announcement seems to have won general acclaim, and the arithmetic of the Electoral College also appears to weigh in his favour. The last date for filing nominations is 28 June 2017. The Lok Sabha Secretary General will be the Electoral Officer. Nominations have begun to be filed.