Delhi Confidential: Before Kovind was named chair of ‘one nation, one election’ panel, a visitors flux

The day before the Law Ministry notified the committee, BJP president J P Nadda paid a visit to the former President on September 1. And, just days before that, on August 28, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat called on Kovind at his residence.

Former President Ram Nath Kovind

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Before the government named him the chair of a high-level committee to examine the issue of simultaneous elections, former President Ram Nath Kovind was busy attending to high-profile visitors in the preceding weeks. Kovind was visited at home by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on July 19, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on July 23, and Home Minister Amit Shah on August 1. The day before the Law Ministry notified the committee, BJP president J P Nadda paid a visit to the former President on September 1. And, just days before that, on August 28, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat called on Kovind at his residence.

Class Apart

Bihar Governor Rajan Arlekar recently gave anxious moments to political leaders from the state when was travelling to his home state Goa. When he entered the aircraft, the INDIA bloc leaders, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who were on their way to attend the united opposition meeting in Mumbai, were already seated in the business class. Arlekar quietly walked past their seats up to the economy class. Many of them offered their seats to the Governor but he refused, politely telling them that he always travels by economy class.

Clearing The Air

Days after Russian ambassador Denis Alipov’s remarks that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is a “womaniser” created a flutter, the Russian envoy on Sunday came out to clear the air, saying that the only thing he meant was that “Lavrov is popular among women as a gentleman, and he’s much admired by men too for his intellect, charisma and wit”. Alipov’s remarks had come during a press conference after a reporter referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s absence at the G20 summit in Delhi.