New Delhi:
Apparently referring to L K Advani's blog post, senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra today said the prime ministerial candidate is always chosen by party's parliamentary board and any other opinion should be assumed to be a "personal" view and "should not be taken as that of the party forum but that of the individual."
In a blog on Sunday, Mr Advani predicted the possible outcome of the 2104 general elections, and said "A non-Congress, non-BJP Prime Minister heading a government supported by one of these two principal parties is feasible." He also said, "It would not at all be surprising if the next Lok Sabha elections yield a result which for the Congress may prove the worst in its history since 1952 .... it may be the first time when the Congress Party's score sinks to just two digits, that is, less than one hundred!"
The Shiv Sena, the BJP's oldest ally, said Mr Advani's blog was damaging to morale. But another Ally, Nitish Kumar's party, the JD(U), found a silver lining in Mr Advani's political astrology. Shivanand Tiwari from the party said that Mr Advani's expectation of a non-Congress, non-BJP PM could easily be fulfilled by Mr Kumar, who is the Bihar chief minister and runs his government in partnership with the BJP.
While Mr Kumar has denied any interest in running for PM, he has made it clear that he will divorce the BJP if it picks a candidate who is not secular - a fairly naked swipe at Narednra Modi, the Gujarat chief minister.
Mr Mishra said today that it does not need tips on its selection process from members of the NDA, the coalition led by the BJP.
"BJP will decide its policy...and will not project the prime ministerial candidate based on the views of anyone," he said.
(with PTI inputs)