NEW DELHI: BJP is all set to announce Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
The anointment of Narendra Modi has virtually split the top BJP leadership into pro and anti Modi camps.
BJP patriarch and former deputy PM L K Advani, who many believe still harbours ambition of becoming Prime Minister himself, is against the party's decision to officially declare Narendra Modi its PM candidate, at least, till assembly elections in five states which are scheduled to be held by the year-end are over. Efforts are currently on by the BJP top brass to get the veteran on board.
Apart from Advani, Sushma Swaraj, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and a known Advani loyalist, was said to be opposing the announcement of Modi's candidature till the assembly polls are over. However, sources say, Swaraj has been persuaded to soften her stand.
Murli Manohar Joshi is also in favour of postponing the announcement of the BJP's PM candidate.
Rajnath Singh has convened a meeting of the BJP parliamentary board on Friday evening to decide the matter once and for all.
The 12 members of BJP parliamentary board are: Rajnath Singh, former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, M Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Narendra Modi, Ananth Kumar, Thawarchand Gehlot and Ram Lal.
The line up in the 12-member board seems clear enough. Apart from Modi himself and Vajpayee, who is unwell, other members who are expected to vote for the Gujarat chief minister are Arun Jaitley, Thawarchand Gehlot, M Venkaiah Naidu, Ram Lal, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari.
Karnataka leader Ananth Kumar is aligned with Advani but is not opposing Modi. If Swaraj and Joshi too do not vote against Modi the lone dissenter will be Advani.
Among the BJP chief ministers, Goa CM Manohar Parrikar is said to be in the pro-Modi camp. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, though not vocal in public, has not shown much enthusiasm in favour of Modi. Going by his campaign posters and public speeches, Chouhan still seems to have a preference for Advani over Modi.
Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh has adopted an ambivalent attitude.
As far as the allies are concerned, Shiromani Akali Dal has already spoken in favour of Narendra Modi. Shiva Sena MP MP Sanjay Raut has also said his party will support any PM candidate chosen by BJP, indicating the Sena's support for Modi.
In BJP's politics, however, all this can come to a naught if you do not have the support of the RSS. And it is here that Modi has scored over Advani. RSS has already given its nod for Modi's anointment.
Barring a major surprise, Modi's coronation is a done deal and he is likely to be declared BJP's PM candidate on Friday evening.
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