New Delhi, May 17: The BJP’s newly-elected parliamentarians will meet on Tuesday to choose Narendra Modi as their leader before he takes charge as India’s next Prime Minister.
"We all know who will be chosen our leader," BJP chief Rajnath Singh said, smiling, as he spoke about the party’s roadmap to power.
The BJP yesterday won a historic mandate in the national election, finishing with 282 seats, its highest ever. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance or NDA won over 330 seats.
With enough seats to take power on its own, the party does not really need its allies. But Mr Singh said, "We will invite our allies for an NDA meet on the same day and thank them for their role in the win."
Mr Modi, 63, is expected to take oath this week in the presence of some 3,000 invitees at the sprawling forecourts of the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The party said dates have not been finalized yet.
Top BJP leaders felicitated Mr Modi with garlands as he arrived in a large convoy to the party office for a meeting of the parliamentary board, driving through roads lined by crowds of supporters.
"The credit for the historic win goes to our workers and to the 1.5 billion people who voted for us," the PM-in-waiting told supporters at the BJP office.
Chants of "Modi, Modi" rang out as he walked slowly through a jostling crowd, showered by rose petals.
At the party meeting, Mr Modi touched the feet of senior leader LK Advani, who pulled him into a hug and gave him sweets. The Kodak moment was meant to overshadow the strained ties between the two leaders since Mr Advani opposed Mr Modi’s elevation in the party last year.
Leaders like Sushma Swaraj and Murli Manohar Joshi, who were seen to be on board with Mr Advani in their reluctance to accept Mr Modi’s leadership, also greeted him with bouquets.
In meetings over the next few days, the party will decide on the roles of Mr Advani, Ms Swaraj and Mr Joshi in a Modi-led government. Sources say Mr Advani, who was BJP’s prime ministerial candidate in 2009, wants to be Lok Sabha Speaker.