New Delhi:
On Saturday, BJP veteran LK Advani will fly in a special aircraft to Gandhinagar in Narendra Modi's Gujarat, to file his nomination. Mr Modi, Gujarat chief minister and the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, has planned a grand show of unity.
In Gandhinagar, Mr Advani will head for the BJP's new office, where both he and Mr Modi will address party workers. They will then go to the nomination centre; Mr Modi will be one of those who will propose Mr Advani's name for the Lok Sabha seat that he has been winning for the last 16 years straight.
In the evening, the two will have tea with local leaders and will inaugurate an election office for Mr Advani, before he flies back to Delhi.
Across Gandhinagar, massive hoardings give Mr Advani's star billing; Mr Modi has designated a comparatively smaller place for himself on the posters. He has also appointed two of his closest aides Amit Shah and Anandiben Patel to oversee Mr Advani's campaign and road shows.
The elaborate arrangements have been impelled by Mr Advani's reluctance to return to Gandhinagar this time. Last month, he petitioned his party that he wanted to contest from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh instead, a move that would have been embarrassing and politically inconvenient for Mr Modi.
It took a full day of cajoling by senior leaders, including Mr Modi, to bring Mr Advani around. Since then, the party has been in damage control mode, attempting to send out the message that its top leaders are not at odds.
But Mr Advani and his one-time protege Mr Modi, have been at odds for several years now. Their relationship reached a low last year when Mr Advani repeatedly staged public sulks to register his disapproval of Mr Modi being picked as the face of the party for the 2014 general elections.
In Gandhinagar, Mr Advani will head for the BJP's new office, where both he and Mr Modi will address party workers. They will then go to the nomination centre; Mr Modi will be one of those who will propose Mr Advani's name for the Lok Sabha seat that he has been winning for the last 16 years straight.
In the evening, the two will have tea with local leaders and will inaugurate an election office for Mr Advani, before he flies back to Delhi.
Across Gandhinagar, massive hoardings give Mr Advani's star billing; Mr Modi has designated a comparatively smaller place for himself on the posters. He has also appointed two of his closest aides Amit Shah and Anandiben Patel to oversee Mr Advani's campaign and road shows.
The elaborate arrangements have been impelled by Mr Advani's reluctance to return to Gandhinagar this time. Last month, he petitioned his party that he wanted to contest from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh instead, a move that would have been embarrassing and politically inconvenient for Mr Modi.
It took a full day of cajoling by senior leaders, including Mr Modi, to bring Mr Advani around. Since then, the party has been in damage control mode, attempting to send out the message that its top leaders are not at odds.
But Mr Advani and his one-time protege Mr Modi, have been at odds for several years now. Their relationship reached a low last year when Mr Advani repeatedly staged public sulks to register his disapproval of Mr Modi being picked as the face of the party for the 2014 general elections.
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