BJP's Goa meet to throw light on PM candidate
ADITYA MENON/INDIA TODAY, NEW DELHI | 20 May 2013 15:37 ISTWith elections to four state assemblies - Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi - round the corner, and murmurs of early Lok Sabha polls growing louder, the BJP's top leadership might be forced to show greater clarity on the leadership question at its national executive in Goa early next month.
"Every aspect of the battle we are facing, will be discussed (at the executive)," BJP spokesperson Vijay Sonkar Shastri said.
Even though the party leadership remains tightlipped on who the BJP's prime ministerial candidate would be, there is clamour that the name be decided "sooner rather than later".
This has been the hope of party cadres across the country, but this time on even senior leaders want the name be announced at the executive in Goa scheduled for June 8 and 9.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had received an overwhelming response at the national executive in March and his supporters believe that his candidature might receive a stamp of approval at Goa.
It was in Goa in 2002, that a sudden upsurge of support from enabled him to preserve his job as Gujarat CM, despite then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee supposedly being in favour of his removal.
However, BJP chief Rajnath Singh has repeatedly stressed that the real work should take place on the ground at the booth levels, irrespective of whom the BJP decides to project.
Two main themes in the executive will be the state elections due later this year and intensification of the attack against the UPA.