LIVE: BJP names Narendra Modi as poll panel chief, say sources
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Panaji, Goa: Handing over veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani a major snub, BJP on Sunday picked Gujarat CM Narendra Modi as party's election campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Latest reports state that the formal announcement is likely to be made soon by the BJP president Rajnath Singh.
The office-bearers’ meet in Panaji, Goa has been the focus of national media after Advani and other senior leaders such as Yashwant Sinha, Uma Bharti, Jaswant Singh and Shatrughan Sinha decided to give it a skip, reportedly unhappy over the inevitable elevation of Narendra Modi.
Earlier on the day, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain on Sunday hinted at the possible elevation in the role for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the party cannot ignore expectations of BJP workers.
Addressing media on the final day of the BJP conclave in Goa, Hussain said that the party cannot ignore expectations of BJP workers. "Will give you the answer not in a few hours but in few minutes," Hussain said on being asked about Narendra Modi's elevation.
The announcement is expected a day after a clearly divided BJP could not take any decision on Saturday after strong resistance from party veteran L K Advani and some other senior leaders.
85-year-old Advani has cited 'ill health' as the reason behind not attending the meeting in Panaji.
Advani's absence from the office bearer's meeting in Goa has given a clear indication that he is upset with the proposal of making Modi the face of the party's poll campaign panel. There are even reports in the media quoting him, as insisting that Rajnath Singh should take key party decisions only in his presence.
Some senior BJP leaders are also opposed to Modi being projected as the party's foremost leader. Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh, Uma Bharti, Maneka Gandhi, Varun Gandhi and Shatrughan Sinha are also not attending the Goa conclave.
Modi's detractors fear that his elevation as chief of the party's election committee is just one step away from him being declared the BJP 's prime ministerial candidate.
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