Now or later? BJP divided over when to make Modi PM candidate

It hasn’t been very long since the move to announce Narendra Modi as the poll campaign chief of the BJP exposed deep divisions within the party. They seemed to have been resolved but reports now hint there is now a divide over when to announce the Gujarat Chief Minister as the party’s prime ministerial candidate. [caption id=“attachment_1052901” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Narendra Modi. PTI image[/caption] A report in the Indian Express  quoted sources as saying that LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Murli Manohar Joshi have weighed in favour of delaying the announcement, while others are keen to announce it as soon as possible. “In fact, matters seem to be getting more complicated with suggestions being floated that Modi should resign as Gujarat CM if he has to be named the PM candidate,” says the report. Party president Rajnath Singh, M Venkaiah Naidu and the RSS  representative in the party Ramlal are among those who support an earlier announcement of Modi’s nomination. Those opposing the announcement believe it could adversely effect the outcome of the state elections - either by diverting attention off local issues, or undermining regional leaders like Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Raman Singh. The news about Advani’s opposition to Modi comes soon after he made his admiration for the Gujarat Chief Minister  BJP conclave took his admiration for Narendra Modi public, surprising many at his volte-face. Earlier, Advani had criticised Modi for his Independence Day speech which had criticised the prime minister. Advani reportedly praised Modi for his efforts to strengthen the party at the booth level, as well as his push with first-time voters. Read the full report here.