1. BJP Declared that Ram Nath Kovind is the presidential candidate.

He first stepped into politics in 1994 when he was elected as a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh

Ram Nath Kovind, who has been chosen as the National Democratic Alliance`s presidential nominee, was a lawyer who practised in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court for 16 years.

The Dalit leader first stepped into politics in 1994 when he was elected as a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh. He served for two consecutive terms for 12 years till March, 2006. He represented India in the United Nations in New York and addressed United Nations General Assembly in October, 2002.

During his parliamentary tenure, Mr. Kovind emphasised on development of basic infrastructure for education in rural areas and helped in the construction of school buildings in Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand under MPLAD (Member of Parliament Local Area Development) Scheme. He has served as a member of several parliamentary committees, including the Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes/Tribes, Parliamentary Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, among others.

Mr. Kovind served as a member of the Board of Management of Dr. B.R Ambedkar University, Lucknow. He was also a member of the Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.

2. Imran Khawaja Appointed as ICC Deputy Chairman.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed Imran Khawaja as its deputy chairman. Imran Khawaja is Chairman of Associates counties and a veteran administrator from Singapore. 

Recently, the ICC Full Council had brought a constitutional change approving the creation of the post of deputy chairman. Imran Khawaja was part of a five member ICC working team that framed ICC’s new constitution last year. 

Following his election, Khawaja will deputise the ICC meetings in the absence of chairman Shashank Manohar. Imran Khawaja is a senior lawyer and has been serving in the ICC Board for several years. He had also served as a part of influential committees of the ICC.