If elected, would focus on expectations of the youth: Ram Nath Kovind

Addressing BJP MPs and MLAs, Kovind said he would work as per the Constitution and his focus would also be on ensuring development of all the states and the nation as a whole.

Equality between the people of all castes and communities and promotion of modern education would be his priorities, he said.

Kovind arrived here accompanied by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and BJP MP Bhupendra Yadav.

Naidu said the presidential election was not a fight of principles, as claimed by the Opposition.

He said the NDA had considered Kovind's personality and leadership qualities and therefore had decided to choose him.

The minister claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah had made efforts to unanimously decide on the presidential candidate but the opposition parties did not give a satisfactory response.

Naidu said that apart from the NDA allies, many regional parties and independent MLAs and MPs had extended their support to Kovind.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said that the BJP had made Kovind the presidential nominee on the ground of his achievements in public life.

She said that Kovind had quit government service to choose politics for social service.

Yadav briefed the MLAs and MPs on the electoral process.

Besides BJP MLAs and MPs, National Unionist Zamindara Party MLAs Kamini Zindal and Sona Devi Bawri, and independent MLAs Manik Chand Surana, Randhir Singh Bhinder and Narendra Chaudhary, were also present at the meeting.

In the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly, the BJP has 161 MLAs, the Congress 24, the National People's Party four, the National Unionist Zamindara Party two, the BSP two and seven independents.