India: Modi anointed Chairman of BJP poll panel

[abdul2]

Brushing aside reservations of patriarch L.K. Advani and some other senior leaders, the BJP on Sunday anointed Narendra Modi as Chairman of its Election Campaign Committee for the 2014 polls, a move considered just short of making him the prime ministerial candidate.

“I want to give you a significant information. …I have announced (at the National Executive) that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as Chairman of the BJP Election Campaign Committee, keeping in mind the challenge of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and to achieve victory in the polls,” party president Rajnath Singh told the media at the conclusion of its 2-day deliberations.

The announcement was made in a terse statement by Mr. Singh who was flanked by Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, former president M Venkaiah Naidu, general secretary Ananth Kumar among others. No questions were taken at the media interaction.

“Whatever has happened has happened on the basis of consensus,” Mr. Singh said without elaborating. The decision to appoint 63-year-old Modi came against the backdrop of Mr. Advani, who is said to be strongly opposed to the elevation of Mr. Modi, keeping away from the meeting.

Several other leaders including Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha, Uma Bharati and Shatrughan Sinha, who are also said to be reportedly having reservations on Modi’s elevation, also kept away from the Executive meeting.

After two days of deliberations and dilemma, the party appears to have taken the plunge by plumping for Modi in a crucial role, ignoring reservations from leaders like Mr. Advani, the tallest leader after Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Mr. Singh said all parties view elections as a challenge and BJP also viewed the coming Lok Sabha elections as a challenge and Mr. Modi’s elevation was done keeping in mind the need to achieve victory.

“We are absolutely sure that the Congress-led UPA government has lost the confidence of the people and are confident that the BJP will be voted to power in the 2014 elections,” he said.

India: Modi anointed Chairman of BJP poll panel