2013 announcement of prime ministerial candidacy of Narendra Modi

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), one of the major political parties in India, announced that Narendra Modi, the then chief minister of Gujarat state, is the prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Indian general election.[1][2] The announcement was made by the then BJP president Rajnath Singh on 12 September 2013.[3][4]

External videos
video icon BJP announces Shri Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate for Loksabha Elections. Bharatiya Janata Party on YouTube, 13 September 2013

Background[edit]

Narendra Modi, being one of the chief minister from BJP was speculated to be a PM candidate. After his exceptional victory in the 2012 Gujarat elections, his popularity amongst the general public as well as the BJP cadre grew exponentially.[5] According to an opinion poll conducted by India Today, Modi was the most preferred choice for PM candidate of BJP.[6] In early 2012 itself, Nitin Gadkari, the former president of BJP hinted that Modi could become the PM candidate.[7] Likewise, Sushma Swaraj, the LoP in Lok Sabha, also endorsed Modi as prime minister during the 2012 Gujarat election campaign.[8] Many media houses also reported that Modi is being considered as the PM candidate of BJP.[9] Former finance minister of India, Subramanian Swami also urged the BJP to declare Modi as it's PM candidate.[10] After Rajnath Singh became the BJP president in early 2013, he reorganised the parliamentary board, the top decision-making body of the party, and included Modi as a member.[11] He was also later appointed as the chairman of the BJP's campaign committee for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.[12]

Support and opposition within BJP[edit]

There have been multiple leaders that openly supported the candidature of Modi, including many senior leaders. Nevertheless, there also has been opposition to this decision as well. The RSS, the parent organisation of the BJP, was reportedly supported the candidature of Modi. According to Ram Madhav, Modi "enjoyed the support of the people who wanted change"[13] However, there was also opposition to the declaration of his candidacy as well. For instance, senior BJP leader and former deputy prime minister of India, Lal Krishna Advani was seemingly against his candidacy. Advani even praised Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and compared him with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the first prime minister of India from the BJP.[14][15] Likewise, other senior leaders such as leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and former finance minister of India Yashwant Sinha were also opposed to Modi's candidacy. Although initially Swaraj endorsed Modi as prime minister, she later opposed declaring the candidature of Modi as it could be too early.[16] However, despite all the resistance, Rajnath Singh managed to pursue a lot of leaders and ensure that Modi becomes the official PM candidate of BJP.[3]

Events on the day of announcement[edit]

Modi was scheduled to participate in an event of a book launch in Gujarat, however, reports of cancellation of the schedule surfaced in media.[17] Modi was reportedly on his way to Delhi and visit the headquarters of BJP to attend a Parliamentary Board meeting. Besides this, as per media reports, Rajnath Singh also contacted Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and Akali Dal president Prakash Singh Badal via phone call. He reportedly conveyed the message of a decision being made on the selection of Prime Minister candidate of the BJP. It was also reported that Advani was unhappy with the decision, and henceforth, Rajnath Singh also visited his house the same afternoon. Nevertheless, despite the efforts, Advani didn't attended the Parliamentary Board meeting. The same evening, Modi reached the BJP headquarters and subsequently a parliamentary board meeting was held. Soon after that evening, Rajnath Singh announced the candidature of Modi. During this even senior BJP leaders such as Murli Manohar Joshi, former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, LoP in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj were also present. That night, Modi also visited the houses of Advani and former prime minister Vajpayee.[18][17]

Reactions from other parties[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "India polls: Narendra Modi revealed as BJP's PM candidate". BBC News. 2013-09-13. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  2. ^ "The rise and rise of Narendra Modi". India Today. 2013-09-13. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  3. ^ a b Chintamani, Gautam (2019-08-26). "Modi was BJP's PM choice because Rajnath Singh made sure of it". ThePrint. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  4. ^ "Announcement of Shri Narendra Modi as BJP's Prime Minister candidate for upcoming Lok Sabha Election on September 12, 2013". Bharatiya Janata Party. 12 September 2013.
  5. ^ "Popular but polarising: can Narendra Modi be PM?". Hindustan Times. 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  6. ^ "Congress down to dramatic low, NDA climbs, others surge". India Today. 2012-01-28. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  7. ^ "Modi is potential PM candidate, says Gadkari". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  8. ^ Video | Narendra Modi most suitable for PM's post, says Sushma Swaraj. Retrieved 2024-05-19 – via www.ndtv.com.
  9. ^ "Narendra Modi to be named BJP's PM candidate in September?". India Today. 2013-08-30. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  10. ^ "Declare Modi the PM candidate: Swamy to BJP". Rediff. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  11. ^ "Narendra Modi inducted into BJP's parliamentary board". The Times of India. 2013-03-31. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  12. ^ "INSIDE STORY: Modi's game plan for the top post in 2014". Rediff. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  13. ^ "Narendra Modi as PM candidate: RSS conveys its choice to BJP". The Indian Express. 2013-09-10. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  14. ^ "LK Advani takes a swipe at Narendra Modi, rates Shivraj Singh Chouhan higher than him". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  15. ^ NP, Ullekh (2013-11-24). "Narendra Modi versus Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Can the latter be BJP's second-best bet for PM?". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  16. ^ Shah, Amita (2013-09-06). "Don't declare Narendra Modi as PM immediately: Sushma Swaraj". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  17. ^ a b ABP NEWS (2013-09-13). ABP Live Special: The story behind Modi's declaration as BJP's PM candidate. Retrieved 2024-05-19 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ "Narendra Modi reaches out to Advani, Vajpayee as their era ends in BJP". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
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