West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has claimed that she has never heard of Ram Nath Kovind, the presidential nominee of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and termed it a "not so mature" move on their part .

According to a report in The Indian Express, Banerjee said, “One should be able to recognise and know a person if one is to support him. There was no discussion over this name. Consensus means to decide with all, isn't it?”

She also added,“I am not saying that he won’t be a good president, but most opposition parties were surprised when the BJP made the announcement,” according to Indian Express.

What is surprising about this reaction is that both Kovind and Banerjee have been on the same Parliamentary panel. They were members of the parliamentary standing committee and submitted the eighth report on the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other Backward Classes (Reservation in Posts and Services) Bill, 2004.