‘Gujarat polls to decide if Modi or Nitish better PM nominee’

Bihar BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP C P Thakur has said Gujarat Assembly election outcome could decide if Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi or his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar would be a better NDA prime ministerial candidate.

Talking to The Indian Express, Thakur, who recently received a call from Modi to campaign in the Gujarat polls, said: "Though it is the central BJP leadership that can settle the PM nominee debate between Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, I believe Gujarat election result will hold the key. If Modi gets a thumping majority, who knows he can be a frontrunner in the NDA PM candidate race."

He said a big majority for the party in Gujarat "might also tempt the central leadership to throw its weight behind Modi even if it means to displease some NDA partners". Thakur, who denied receiving any gag order from the party high command for targeting Kumar of late, said the BJP "could think of a PM candidate who can help increase its Lok Sabha tally in states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh" besides boosting its strength in strongholds.

He, however, said the NDA had been non-committal on declaring NDA candidate before the 2014 election because it continued "to be mired in moderate face versus 'hardcore face' dilemma".

Thakur, who has sent 20 BJP workers to Gujarat, said he would schedule his Gujarat trip after November 15. "BJP ministers Ashwini Choubey and Giriraj Singh have already agreed to visit Gujarat. As Narendra Modi has invited all party leaders, I will also ask Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi to visit the state to campaign," Thakur said, adding that there was nothing wrong with party leaders from two states reciprocating. He denied that there were two camps within the state BJP over extending support to Modi.

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