Nothing unsettles the old Delhi Darbar more than to find a hitherto unknown name hog the headlines. The question “Kovind who?” brings back memories of the day Pratibha Patil was declared the United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA) candidate for the job. Minutes before her candidature was announced, in 2007, a prominent television journalist called me. He had heard from his ‘sources’ that the candidate would be a woman from Maharashtra. Was I aware who? I was at the time in the Prime Minister’s Office. I had not yet heard who the UPA had. . .