New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS): BJP's prime ministerial nominee for the 2014 general elections would be announced after "talking to everyone", party president Rajnath Singh said Thursday.
"We will decide after talking to everyone," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh told a news channel.
Party spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi added: "Discussions are going on and we will announce the nominee soon. There is no contradiction in the party on who will be the prime ministerial candidate. All is well."
According to party sources, there is a broad agreement on the name of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the party's prime ministerial candidate.
A formal announcement may be made Friday when the BJP parliamentary board meets to approve Modi's candidature.
But a major concern for Rajnath Singh is to convince senior leaders L.K. Advani along with Sushma Swaraj, who are of the opinion that a decision on Modi's projection as prime ministerial candidate should be taken after the assembly polls in five states, said sources.
In case a general consensus among the parliamentary board does not emerge, Rajnath Singh can also make an announcement even without a parliamentary board meeting as he has the power to do so.
Advani criticised for not supporting Modi
Former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi has criticised senior leader L.K. Advani for not supporting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate.
"Advaniji has failed to gauge the public mood. Advaniji himself declared Atalji as PM candidate. Now also he could have done the same for Namo (Narendra Modi)," Sushil Modi wrote on Twitter Wednesday night.
Nearly a month ago, the Bihar unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) passed a resolution to declare Narendra Modi as the party's prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections.
A BJP leader said that a few months ago, Sushil Modi was considered close to Advani and was a vocal supporter of the party patriarch within the BJP. But the changing equation in the party in favour of Narendra Modi forced him to take an anti-Advani stand.