Kovind is pitted against Meira Kumar, nominated by the Congress-led opposition.
The NDA, led by the BJP, has 5,37,683 votes including the Shiv Sena in today's poll, falling short by around 12,000 votes. But the promised support from the BJD, the TRS and the YSR Congress, and the likely backing from the AIADMK factions could offset the shorfall by a substantial margin.
"So there is hope that those parties, which have till now opposed the BJP and will be the target of the party in the coming state elections, might change their decision (to support Kovind) at the last moment considering the situation in the country," Omar told reporters after casting his vote at Jammu and Kashmir assembly.
The National Conference (NC) working president said the opposition parties are discussing how to put up a fight against the BJP in the run-up to the 2019 general elections.
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"They have a government at the centre, most states also have BJP governments, so it is obvious the president, vice- president as well as the prime minister will be from the party. The opposition is discussing how we can change this situation in the time to come. We have to get ready for 2019 to fight the BJP," he said.
"The biggest reason for the deteriorating situation in the state is the failure of the chief minister," he said.
Mehbooba had, on Saturday, claimed external forces were creating problems in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Kashmir issue is not a law and order problem. It is happening because of external forces. The ongoing fight is a handiwork of external forces and now unfortunately China is also trying to meddle into it," she had told reporters after a meeting with Home Minister Rajnath Singh.