Had to pick Modi as PM candidate, sad Advani didn't attend, says Jaitley

8:15 pm: Had Advani attended the meet we would have been happy, says Jaitley Speaking to a news channel, Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley said that the party would have been happier if Advani had attended the meet as a ‘role model’ and his absence had saddened them. He said that the decision to pick Modi as the prime ministerial candidate was taken because the party had to respect the sentiments of its supporters. 8:10 pm: Modi leaves after meeting with Advani After the meeting with Advani, Modi leaves from his residence but makes no comment on what took place inside. 7:25 pm: Modi goes to Advani’s residence After being appointed as the party’s PM candidate, Modi has gone to the residence of LK Advani to seek his blessings. Unfortunately photographers are not being allowed in presently. The best photo-op of the night is going to going to go undocumented. 7:10 pm: JD(U)’s Sharad Yadav says Modi’s elevation proves RSS influence Having just split from the BJP one wouldn’t expect Sharad Yadav to have anything kind to say about Modi and the party. And he doesn’t. “Although its the BJP’s internal matter I feel it has been proved that the BJP is being run by the RSS,” he said. 7:05 pm: Reactions begin pouring in to announcement https://twitter.com/SushilModi/status/378506958292000768 https://twitter.com/ChouhanShivraj/status/378503266578882560 https://twitter.com/ianuragthakur/status/378509514867081217 https://twitter.com/milinddeora/status/378518086522920960 6: 55 pm: Sushma Swaraj avoids group photos with Modi, says he will meet Advani The senior party leader avoided making any comment on Advani’s absence but herself beat a hasty retreat from function that involved group photos. “No one is upset,” she told reporters when asked about Advani’s absence. She said that Modi would be headed to meet with Advani to seek his blessings. Wonder if there will be a photo opportunity provided there as well. 6:40 pm: I’m disappointed with your functioning , Advani tells Rajnath  The BJP leadership beat a hasty retreat after that brief press conference and refused to answer any questions on Advani’s absence. But it turns out that Advani has already fired his first missile at the party and has said that he is disappointed in the manner in which the party is functioning. “When you came to meet me this afternoon to inform me of the Parliamentary Board meeting I had expressed my pain and had expressed my disappointment on your manner on functioning,” Advani said in the letter addressed to Rajnath. “I had told you that I will consider whether I should come to the meeting and express my views or not. I have decided that it is best that I do not attend the meeting,” Advani said. It perhaps explains why Rajnath wasn’t keen on answering questions on the issue, but by sparing Modi and the decision to make him the Prime Ministerial candidate, Advani seems to have not shown any open dissent so far. 6:35 pm: Will not leave any stone unturned to ensure BJP’s success in 2014, says Modi In by far one of Modi’s most calm speeches yet, the BJP’s newly appointed campaign chief said that he would leave no stone unturned when it came to ensuring the party’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections. “Today the BJP’s national leadership has given a very big responsibility to someone who has come from a very common family,” he said. Despite Advani’s marked absence, Modi said that the role of the Atal-Advani era of the BJP and the blessings of thousands of the party’s cadre had played a major role in his rise to this position. “I want to thank every small and big leader in the party and express my gratitude to them. I would like to assure them that in the 2014 elections I will not leave any stone unturned to ensure the BJP’s victory in 2014,” Modi said. The newly appointed prime ministerial candidate said he was seeking the blessings of the crores of citizens that at the time when the country is going through a hard time. “I hope that they will support the BJP to help us get the country out from this period,” he said, adding that he was certain the entire nation would back the party. I am very thankful to the media as well for expressing your valuable views that have helped in with the growth of the BJP, he said. Party chief Rajnath Singh ended the press conference saying that he had spoken with all the NDA allies and they were all backing the BJP’s decision. “All the allies in the NDA have expressed their support for the move to pick Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate,” Singh said. 6:25 pm: It’s final, Modi is the BJP’s PM candidate “We have had a tradition of declaring the Prime Minsiterial candidate of the party in the year that elections are being held to the Lok Sabha. Since we expected the polls to be held between 2013-14, I called for the Parliamentary Board meeting,” Rajnath Singh told the press conference. “The Parliamentary Board has decided that Modi should be projected as the party’s prime ministerial candidate. Looking at the nation’s mood and the cadre of the party we have decided to take this decision,” he said. “I congratulate Modiji on his appointment and we are confident that the people will back and that the next government will be formed by the BJP,” Rajnath Singh said. All the leaders present on the stage took turns to greet Modi on the occasion and there were smiles and bouquets all around as the BJP  celebrated the decision. 6:22 pm: Parliamentary Board meeting, BJP leaders all on stage with Modi Its all smiles now after the Parliamentary Board meeting and all the members of the board are on the stage and presenting a united front despite the absence of LK Advani. 6:15 pm: Modi arrives at BJP headquarters Narendra Modi has arrived at the BJP headquarters and while he won’t be participating in the crucial vote, he will be at hand once the formal announcement on the matter is made by the Parliamentary Board. The Gujarat Chief Minister is maintaining a dignified silence for now and looks like he will hold his tongue until the formal announcement is made. 6:05 pm: BJP Parliamentary Board meet begins, Modi leaves Rajnath’s residence The BJP Parliamentary Board meeting has finally begun and given the reported consensus over the issue it shouldn’t take too long for the formal announcement to be made. Meanwhile, Modi has left Rajnath’s residence and is reportedly headed to the party’s headquarters. 5:55 pm: Modi arrives at Rajnath Singh’s residence Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the residence of party chief Rajnath Singh where he was greeted by trusted lieutenant Amit Shah and Piyush Goel who quickly ushered him in. Now its just a matter of time for the announcement and the Gujarat Chief Minister looks set to wait it out in the party chief’s house until its finalised. 5:45 pm: Sushma Swaraj and other leaders arrive for meet Despite Advani’s now obvious opposition to the elevation of the Gujarat Chief Minister, none of the other leaders have shown similar dissent and are all attending the party’s Parliamentary Board meeting. 5:40 pm: Advani to boycott Parliamentary Board meet, deja vu for Modi All efforts to placate party patriarch LK Advani seem to been for nothing with the leader saying that he won’t be at the Parliamentary Board meeting. Sources told CNN-IBN that the senior BJP leader has decided to make his opposition to the elevation of Modi absolutely clear and as a result won’t be attending the meet. This is the second time Advani would be skipping an event in which Modi is to be elevated, having last skipped the Goa meet of the party where the Gujarat Chief Minister was elevated to the post of the party’s poll campaign chief. But what this also does is perhaps clear the decks for the elevation of Modi to the post of the party’s prime ministerial candidate. 5.33 pm: BJP workers celebrate As news comes in that the RSS has given one last push to the BJP, exhorting it to declare Narendra Modi its PM candidate, BJP workers break out in celebrations outside the BJP’s headquarters in Delhi. According to CNN IBN, Rajnath Singh has told the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat over phone a while back that the party is going to go ahead with the announcement. ANI has tweeted out a picture of BJP supporters celebrating. From people beating drums to bhangra dancers the scene is not that of a PM candidate nomination, but seems more like the party has already won the general elections!  5.01 pm: Murli Manohar Joshi says that people should accept the Modi proposal Murli Manohar Joshi, who was considered to be an eminent member of the anti-Modi camp in BJP, has seemingly bitten the Modi bait and said that if a proposal for fronting Modi as the party’s PM candidate has come up, it should be supported. Speaking to a TV channel, Joshi said that, “If a proposal has come, it’s better to accept it.” Asked what happens to Advani in that case, Joshi said he was not aware of those issues. 4.10 pm: Narendra Modi headed for BJP meeting In a last ditch attempt to invoke a consensus maybe, Narendra Modi has himself agreed to turn up at the BJP meeting in Delhi. According to a report on NDTV, the meeting which was almost on the verge of being cancelled has been pushed back to 5.30 pm today. Modi, on his part, has been trying to soften the blow on Advani for a while now. From his now infamous Independence Day speech to his last speech in Jaipur, Modi has continuously referred to Advani as one of BJP’s visionaries. Though the duo has not hit out at each other in public, Advani has held on to his disapproval, going to the extent of criticizing the Gujarat CM’s Independence Day speech. However, though Modi cannot be present when the Parliamentary Body meets, the reason why he has flown down to Delhi probably has roots in Advani’s inflexible disapproval of him. Maybe a tete-a-tete can help save the situation for BJP? According to news channel Times Now, Modi is slated to visit Advani, though sources say it will be a  formality. However, given how Modi has manipulated the RSS and amassed popular support across all ranks of the BJP, Rajnath Singh might just try falling back upon the controversial leader himself to make Advani come around. 3.11 pm: Murli Manohar Joshi to attend BJP meet, back Modi? News, often conflicting, are flying thick and fast around the BJP meet. First, BJP insiders told reporters that Rajnath Singh has called for a meeting to arrive to a consensus on Modi. Then, it was said that Advani has not been invited but the senior leader has insisted that he attends the meet to explain his stand. After a flurry of activities all day long, in course of which Nitin Gadkari was dispatched to placate Narendra Modi, Sushma Swaraj said that there has been no confirmation on the meet yet. As of yet, even Rajnath Singh has not come out and made an announcement on the BJP meet. The point of the meet, one can presume was to decide whether the party should go ahead with declaring Modi the PM candidate bypassing Advani. Given that most of the leaders, some of them grudgingly agreed, that Modi is the PM candidate the meeting was probably convened initially to make a decision on Advani. With talks reaching a stalemate, despite several trips to Advani’s house by Rajnath, Sushma and Gadkari, it increasingly seems possible that Rajnath might just make an announcement without a final meeting. With Shivraj Chouhan refusing to fly to Delhi, it is also pointless to try pretending that the party is united on the decision, hence the BJP President might see much sense in a meet anymore. However, some other sources seem to have told news agency PTI that Murli Manohar Joshi, has now come around and will attend the BJP meet. he is also slated to back Modi. The initial reports suggested that the meet was supposed to take place at 5pm today. With just a little over an hour to go and next to no confirmation, the BJP is faced with a long grueling day it seems. 2.42 pm: ‘People are resentful of this nonsense’ Former BJP leader Ram Jethmalani commented that LK Advani should stop worrying about his own personal ambitions and instead of the nation’s interest. “He should renounce personal ambitions for the nation’s,” said Ram Jethmalani. “I will be very happy when it happens. I hope by evening Mr Advani comes around,” he added. Jethmalani, traditionally, had been a staunch Modi supporter and had publicly taken Nitin Gakdkari down clearing way for Modi’s ascent in the party and Gadkari’s exit. Meanwhile, Sushma Swaraj told reporters, while leaving Advani’s residence, that there was no official word on the BJP’s Parliamentary Board Meeting hinting that the possibility of the meet too looks bleak. 2.15 pm: Has Rajnath Singh jumped the gun in announcing Narendra Modi as PM candidate? Reports are pouring in that Rajnath Singh has had discussions with several of his allies, including Akali Dal and Shiv Sena. In course of those discussions the leaders of the respective parties have been informed that Narendra Modi will be the party’s official prime ministerial candidate. While giving the BJP’s stagnant poll campaign a necessary fillip might be what is on Singh’s mind, the BJP’s senior leadership continues to play spoilsport. That might be the reason that Singh decided to talk to his possible allies before the BJP’s Parliamentary Board meeting even started. One way to coerce the dissenting leaders would be to convince them that Modi is not only important to steer the BJP’s campaign ahead, he is also important to forge new and strong alliances. Getting support from possible allies will play an important role in the whole process as it was because of Modi himself that JD(U) snapped its 17-year-old ties with BJP. The only reason that JD(U) cited was Modi’s elevation in the party and the Gujarat CM’s anti-secular image. It will be important to convince the higher order about the possibility of BJP making new allies once it is led by Narendra Modi. How Rajnath Singh will possibly manage to counter the JD(U)’s snub with support from parties like Shiv Sena and Akali Dal, is something that will be interesting to track. 1:50 pm: Advani tells party leaders that he won’t work with party if Modi’s elevated It seems LK Advani is pretty upset about the decision to elevate Modi and has declared his intent to stop working for the party in the event that the BJP does bite the bullet on making the Gujarat Chief Minister its prime ministerial candidate. CNN-IBN reports that the party patriarch has said that Advani could quit from the parliamentary board and could also resign in the event that the announcement on Modi is made the prime ministerial candidate. The situation as it stands seems to be veering towards a scenario last seen when the Gujarat Chief Minister was made the poll campaign chief. But will the BJP and RSS bend this time to keep the senior leader on board? 1:45 pm: Uddhav Thackeray informed of Modi decision CNN-IBN reports that BJP president Rajnath Singh had spoken with its ally Shiv Sena and informed them of the decision to pick Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate. Party MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut told  CNN-IBN that the BJP president had called Thackeray and informed him of the decision to pick Modi as the party’s prime ministerial candidate and sought his support for it. Meanwhile, senior BJP leaders are still huddled in the meeting with Advani and it’s not known whether the party patriarch was aware of these developments in advance. 12:55 pm: Modi ditches book launch, heading to Delhi instead Contrary to an earlier report, it turns out the Gujarat Chief Minister won’t sit in Gandhinagar twiddling his thumbs and launching a book. According to latest information from CNN-IBN, Modi is headed to Delhi where all the action is taking place. Has he been informed about the parliamentary board meeting? Will he attend it? Will he also land up at Advani’s residence where almost everyone who’s anyone in the BJP seems to be congregating? 12:50 pm: Gadkari returns to Advani’s house, this time with Sushma in tow After visiting Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari has returned to Advani’s residence with the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. It seems even BJP leader Ananth Kumar went from Swaraj’s home to the party patriarch’s house for the meeting. 11.52 am: LK Advani not invited to BJP’s Parliamentary Board Meet? According to sources, BJP patriarch LK Advani has not been invited to participate in the BJP’s parliamentary board meeting which is supposed to take off at 5 pm today. However, Advani, after being apprised of the same by others reportedly said that come what may, he will attend the meet. Reportedly, Advani and Sushma Swaraj has argued that it is not in the BJP’s political traditions to have one person hold all the important positions in it. They have demanded Modi step down as poll campaign chief probably because they want all the senior leaders in the party to feel equally important. Advani has vowed to use this meeting as a platform to build and strengthen his case against Modi’s immediate coronation. 11.35 am: Now Shivraj Chouhan refuses to turn up for Modi-christening ceremomy According to CNN IBN, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has turned down an appeal from Rajnath Singh to fly down to Delhi in a show of unity. There is little doubt in the fact that with the party’s divisions out in the open, the BJP has given the Congress enough meat to build a campaign against them already. With people like Manish Tewary already walking down that path, the BJP’s first concern is to now portray a united front to their political adversaries and the public. It is important to note here that statements from Sushil Kumar Modi, the chief of BJP in Bihar where the party is hardly a force to reckon with or CP Thakur, its Rajya Sabha MP, will not make much of a long lasting impression unless the more recognizable faces of the party come out and make a statement. Except Rajnath Singh, who has maintained that there is no dissent within the party and has also avoided commenting on Modi’s PM potential as steadfastly, none of the bigger leaders have commented on either Modi or Advani. Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s snub then comes as a great setback for the party. However, it is not extremely surprising that Chouhan refused to acquiesce with the party’s bigger plan. Just a couple of weeks back, Chouhan had reportedly requested the BJP leadership to withhold an announcement on Modi till the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh ends. Fearing getting eclipsed by Modi in his own state, the MP CM had reportedly made an impassioned appeal for consideration. However, with the national leadership brushing his request aside, it is not difficult to see why Chouhan doesn’t seem too keen on participating in the ‘united party’ show. While the silence shouldn’t worry Advani, it is reason enough for Modi and Rajnath to worry. 11.20 am: ‘Modi must give up CM post, if he is declared PM candidate’ According to reports on CNN IBN, the anti-Modi camp has put forth a list of demands if the Gujarat CM is to be made the Prime Ministerial candidate for the party. While some leaders have demanded Modi give up the post of the chief minister if he is made the PM candidate, others have demanded he step down as the election campaign chief. While the BJP’s original idea was probably help the party and its senior leaders warm up to the idea of Modi as the face of the party, it seems to have backfired on them. 11:15 pm: We stand united, says party spokesperson Even as the BJP chief rushes from home to home trying to get all leaders to unite over the decision to elevate Modi, party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain has said that the party still stands united. He said that Rajnath Singh was meeting all the leaders of the BJP and the party would continue to stand united. Meanwhile, BJP leader Ananth Kumar is reportedly meeting Sushma Swaraj as the BJP leaders continue urgent parleys before the evening Parliamentary board meeting. 11: 10  am: Yeh toh hona hi tha, says Swamy Having just merged with the BJP, Subramanian Swamy is already sounding like a veteran BJP politician and said that it was always Modi who was to be picked as the party’s prime ministerial candidate, it was just a matter of when. He refuted the Congress’ claim that the decision to pick Modi was a forced one. “It’s not a question of forcing at all since it has taken so much time,” Swamy said. For us it is a culture of two cultures: Om versus Rome, he said and Modi stands for Indian culture. Whereas, according to Swamy, Sonia Gandhi stands for the Vatican. 10. 55 am: Nitin Gadkari meets Advani Strangely enough, it was Nitin Gadkari who the BJP dispatched to placate LK Advani. Rajnath Singh has held a series of meetings with Sushma Swaraj, LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, trying to convince them that announcing Modi it’s PM candidate is in the best interests of the party. However, reports suggest that Advani has refused to budge. Gadkari and Modi have had quite the troubled relationship and some acknowledge that Gadkari’s fall from fame within the party has roots in the Gujarat CM’s disapproval of him and his man-at-arms Sanjay Joshi. However, by declaring him the key Delhi poll campaign chief, the party has conveniently placated Gadkari so as to employ him in the Advani-manipulation process. Leaving Rajnath Singh’s house Gadkari refused to comment on the proceedings. “This is the party’s internal matter,” he said, brushing off reporters. Gadkari is reportedly meeting LK Advani in a while. The BJP is also set to organise a Parliamentary Board meeting, which Murli Manohar Joshi has decided to skip. The meeting will take place at 5 pm today and an announcement might be made shortly after. [caption id=“attachment_1106417” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Narendra Mod and Advani in a meeting in the past. PTI.[/caption] 10. 45 am: Will BJP bite the Modi bullet? While the BJP has been struggling to grab its share of limelight after bowing before the Congress’ pressure to pass the far-from-perfect Food Security Bill and Land Acquisition Bill, this was not the kind of attention the party was looking for. Now that LK Advani has plonked himself right in the party and its current toast Narendra Modi’s way of plunging headlong into the poll politics, the BJP is faced with a difficult choice. The first is leaving party patriarch Advani out in the cold and going ahead with christening Modi as the party’s PM candidate. The second is to leave the party’s poll fortunes hanging in balance so as to make sure that the BJP doesn’t come across as a divided, audacious party that has little respect for even its own most seasoned and respected voices. The first option comes with the benefit of working up a voter frenzy that might have enough muscle to knock the Congress out of spotlight for the time being and punch holes into its post-Food Bill victory bubble. After all, Narendra Modi is the only antidote the party seems to have against the Congress, given that its own record of governance is too old to be invoked for votes again this year. The second option might not be conducive to immediate mass hysteria - but might be a mature, clever decision in the long run. By making an announcement on Modi and making the divisions in the party public right now, the BJP would have shown the Opposition all its cards, giving the latter both time and luxury to take it apart. Also, given that Modi anyway sits on a fairly important position in the party and has been leading the campaign, a sustained buzz around him is likely to see the party through till the days before the actual polls, even without a big, celebratory announcement. The BJP headquarters have been fraught with turmoil for the past couple of months, first with Advani’s resignation over Modi’s first elevation in the party, then with murmurs that he is staunchly against Modi playing a bigger role in the national politics of the BJP. The biggest problem in rudely shoving Advani out of the party’s way would prove that the Hindutva activists of RSS have the kind of sway over BJP that is not too conducive to any form of political diplomacy. Also since Advani has made noises about how his conscience cannot accept Modi as the party’s face (hinting rather un-subtly at allegations of communal-ism against the Gujarat CM), the BJP risks fully resurrecting the spectre of the Gujarat riots by cold-shouldering Advani. The BJP might not need Advani right now, but Modi could do with a little help from Advani in trying to reach out to the masses for who Advani is still a more familiar face and name. Given that the Congress has now jumped into the BJP’s cauldron of politics , a decision on Modi is all set to define how the national discourse of politics will play itself out in the run up to the Lok Sabha Elections in 2014.