Mumbai: National Democratic Alliance (NDA) presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind met with MPs and state legislators and spoke to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on phone though presidential nominees in the past have visited the Thackeray home.

Pranab Mukherjee and Pratibha Patil, as presidential candidates of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), had visited the then Sena chief Bal Thackeray at his residence Matoshree in Mumbai’s Bandra, when the party had differed on the presidential nominees with the NDA in the past.

This time, too, the Sena had initially wanted the BJP to consider the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat as the next President of India and had said that if the “dream of a Hindu rashtra (nation) has to be fulfilled, then Bhagwat should be made president”.

However, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah visited Uddhav at his residence last month and had assured him that the party would consult its allies before finalising the presidential candidate.

Yet, the choice of Kovind came as a surprise though the fact that he was a senior party member from the Dalit community ensured that there would be no opposition from the allies.

Uddhav announced his party’s support for Kovind despite tension between the two parties and had said, “Kovind is a good candidate, a straightforward person from a simple family and has the potential to work for the country’s benefit”.

Today, Kovind was on a brief visit to Mumbai to interact with MPs and MLAs at Garware Club in South Mumbai. He also phoned and also thanked Uddhav for supporting his candidature. On his arrival at the airport, Kovind was welcomed by BJP leaders, including Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Ramdas Athawale and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Even though Kovind may have the numbers to win the presidential elections, to be held on July 17, the ruling BJP alliance is not laid back on the confidence of being victorious but is wooing independent MPs and MLAs and even expecting cross voting from other parties, including the Congress.

Maharashtra has 288 members of the legislature — 122 are from the BJP, Sena 63, 42 Congress and 41 Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Together with some independents and with a few legislators from other parties, Kovind could easily get 197 votes from the state. Opposition presidential candidate Meira Kumar is likely to get 83 votes from the Congress and NCP.