Advani era over,BJP set to anoint Narendra Modi as PM candidate on Friday

The Bharatiya Janata Party is set to anoint its campaign committee chief and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate at the Parliamentary Board meeting on Friday.

It's a big  Friday as the main opposition party of India  ie BJP will  experience a  major political transition, giving a generational shift by formally projecting  Modi as the face of the party for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

But 13th September can also be tumultuous day for the Indian politics as  there are immense speculations that veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani and  Sushma Swaraj, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, could quit their posts if the party declares Gujarat CM Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate ahead of the coming Assembly polls, RSS and top BJP leaders appear to have decided to go ahead with the decision on Modi.

Murli Manohar Joshi has been asked to stay back in the national capital for the meeting. Advani, Swaraj and Joshi are expected to voice their reservations against Modi at Friday's meeting.
 

The anti-Modi camp is insisting on three conditions that if he is declared the PM candidate,First Modi will have to resign from both Gujarat  chief ministership  post and  campaign committee chief  and  Modi will have to obey Adavni's orders.They cited  Bharatiya Janta party's  policy of one-man-one-post, and they must take everyone along in decision-making.

Thursday was a hectic day for  BJP President Rajnath Singh as he talked to many leaders of RSS and his own party and tried to build a consensus for the Gujarat strongman but failed  and  then decided to call  the Parliamentary board  meet at 5 pm on Friday to anoint Modi as the party's PM candidate.

Faced with a virtual deadlock due to strong resistance from Advani, Swaraj and Joshi, Rajnath Singh reached out to RSS .

Having got a nod from the Sangh founthead,number two Bhaiyyaji Joshi at the RSS office Keshav Kunj, Singh decided to hold the Parliamentary Board meeting. Swaraj was asked to cancel her scheduled trip to Ambala on Friday.

Advani, who is the stumbling block in the announcement,has maintained Modi's projection would hurt BJP's campaign against UPA over issues like corruption and price rise as the focus would be on Modi.

 

However, efforts were still being made to soften Advani and party leaders were banking on former BJP president Nitin Gadkari to convince him. Gadkari met Advani late Thursday night, sources said.

Advani had quit the party in a huff in June when Modi was appointed head of the campaign committee, but had to climb down after the BJP's ideological patron, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), made it clear it would not change its mind.
 

Sushil Modi had on Wednesday tweeted, "Advaniji has failed to gauge the public mood. He himself declared Atalji as PM candidate.  Now also he could have done the same for Namo (Narendra Modi)." Politics is the only profession in which people aspire till their last. Ministerial berth can resurrect a dead politician."

Following this, there was a tweet war of sorts with Advani aide Sudheendra Kulkarni and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy arguing against what he tweeted.

While Advani has remained silent on the issue, his close associate Sudheendhra Kulkarni attacked Modi, describing him as a "polarising" leader" in the society as well as the party and cast aspersions on his ability as a Prime Minister to run a stable and effective government.

"A socially polarising leader has polarised his own party. Can he run a smooth, stable and effective government at the Centre? think seriously!" Kulkarni said on Twitter about Modi without naming him.

"Elections are seven months away. People want a change. But who will provide the change? Leaders who are polarising the society?" Kulkarni told
He maintained that there is no unanimity in the party about the prime ministerial candidate.

"Question does arise that can such a leader ensure a smooth government and peace in the society," he said.

Rajnath Singh and his predecessor Nitin Gadkari had visited Advani in the last two days to convince him on Modi's candidature but got no assurance from him.