Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, has decided to side with the Narendra Modi government and back Ram Nath Kovind for President, top leaders of his party said today. The Chief Minister will meet early this evening with his party colleagues including Sharad Yadav and formally announce that they will not support the opposition if it puts up its own contender, a decision that Mr Kumar reportedly conveyed on Monday to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and partner Lalu Yadav after Mr Kovind was named as the BJP's nominee.