Narendra Modi as PM candidate: Is the announcement imminent?

, Sept 7: It seems the

is in no mood to bury its internal differences over the appointment of Gujarat Chief Minister

as its prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. It is learnt that while the

is in favour of making the announcement immediately, senior leaders like L K Advani and Sushma Swaraj want the announcement to be made after the assembly elections due later this year.

Sources said the final decision on the matter will be taken by September 19 following meetings between the RSS and BJP leaders. Sources added that the beginning of Pitripaksh on September 20, which is considered inauspicious as per the calendar, has compelled the leaders to announce the decision before that date.

The picture is likely to get clearer after a crucial BJP-RSS meet today

On Saturday, Modi and party president Rajnath Singh met senior RSS leaders in New Delhi to discuss the matter. Another senior leader Arun Jaitley is also in favour of making the announcement soon. The recent controversy over former IPS officer DG Vanzara's letter criticising Modi and his close aide Amit Shah has put the BJP leaders in a spot on whether to make the announcement immediately or later.

Advani and Swaraj, who have been putting up obstacles on Modi's way through means of reluctance all along, found a big opportunity to object to the announcement soon. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also said that the announcement should come later.

Latest reports said a meeting between the RSS and BJP will be held here on Sunday where the picture is expected to get clearer.

OneIndia News