Announcement of Modi as BJP's PM candidate may be delayed

New Delhi, Aug 10: BJP may further delay the announcement of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the party's Prime Ministerial candidate till the assembly elections to Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are over.

Top party sources said though discussions are on in BJP on the issue, there is a view that announcing Modi as the PM candidate before the assembly polls may not be a good idea.

The reluctance to anoint Modi as the PM candidate stems mainly from the party's anxiety to insulate him from criticism in the event of the results of the assembly elections going against the party.

"In case we lose say two of the four states, it will reflect badly on Modi as our political adversaries will blame it on him," a senior BJP leader said.

Though BJP is confident of victory in Congress-ruled Rajasthan and to a great extent in Madhya Pradesh, the chances are slim in Chhattisgarh and quite bleak in Delhi, according to party sources.

Much will also depend on whether Congress will go for early Lok Sabha polls. BJP does not want to announce Modi's candidature very close to the general elections either and would like the message to go out loud and clear to the people.

PTI