Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is being touted as the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) possible prime ministerial candidate, was on Sunday appointed as the chairman of party's campaigning committee for 2014 election.
The much awaited announcement was made during the speech of BJP President Rajnath Singh.
"Keeping the campaign in mind, I have appointed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the campaign committee chairman. His selection was unanimous," Singh said.
"The whole party has faith that he will lead us to victory", he added.
The announcement came at the end of a dramatic two-day conclave that saw strong resistance from party veteran L K Advani and some other senior leaders to the appointment of Narendra Modi and chairman of the campaign committee. .
Advani did not attend a national executive meet for the first time since the BJP was founded There have been reports that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh wanted a decision to be taken in Goa regarding the appointment of Narendra Modi.
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Advani's absence from the office bearer's meeting in Goa has given a clear indication that he is upset with the proposal of making Modi the face of the party's poll campaign panel.
Some senior BJP leaders are also opposed to Modi being projected as the party's foremost leader. Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh, Uma Bharti, Maneka Gandhi, Varun Gandhi and Shatrughan Sinha were also not attended the Goa conclave.
Modi's detractors fear that his elevation as chief of the party's election committee is just one step away from him being declared the BJP's prime ministerial candidate.