BJP's PM candidate to be decided in consultation with allies

JD(U) president Sharad Yadav today sought to downplay clamour for the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's projection as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate and said that the decision in this regard will be taken at the meeting of the NDA constituents.

"The decision on the BJP's prime ministerial candidate will be taken at the NDA constituents' meeting", he told reporters.

As far as he was concerned, the BJP has not discussed with its allies about its prime minister candidate for the next general elections, Yadav said and added that the BJP president has said as much on the issue.

The BJP president Rajnath Singh has publicly said that his party's prime ministerial nominee will be decided at the meeting of the NDA in due course of time, the JD(U) president, who is also the convenor of the NDA, said.

However, the local BJP leaders continued to favour Modi's projection as the prime ministerial candidate much to the annoyance of the senior coalition partner in Bihar with the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Minister Giriraj Singh claiming that the Gujarat Chief Minister was '200 per cent' secular leader and every fourth Muslim citizen in Gujarat had voted for Modi in the recently-concluded assembly polls.

"Modi is 200 per cent secular leader and every fourth Muslim in Gujarat has voted for him in the assembly polls recently," Singh, staunch votary of the Gujarat Chief Minister said.