BJP president challenges Congress to name its PM candidate: Rajnath Singh

Congress not in a position to announce its PM candidate, says Singh

Taking a dig at the low popularity ratings of prospective Congress prime ministerial candidates, BJP president Rajnath Singh today challenged the ruling party to name its nominee for the top job.

"The people want to know who will be Congress' candidate (for PM). The Congress must announce the name at least six to eight months before the elections so that the people can make an informed decision," Singh said.

"The question now is who will be Congress' prime ministerial candidate," Singh said talking to reporters here.

The BJP, as announced by him earlier, has declared 'at the appropriate time' its candidate for the post by naming Narendra Modi, Singh said.

Referring to popularity rating surveys of front runners for prime ministerial candidates, the BJP chief said, "after the findings, the Congress is not in a position to announce its prime ministerial candidate's name".

Various surveys on popularity and acceptance among voters of probables for the PM's post have placed BJP's Narendra Modi ahead of likely Congress names such as incumbent Manmohan Singh and AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi, he claimed.