JD(U)'s resolution asks BJP to declare PM candidate before year end

New Delhi: The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday passed its political resolution. The party has asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to announce the NDA's prime ministerial candidate before year end. The JD(U), in its resolution, said that it has been a tradition since the last two general elections that the NDA declares its PM candidate before the Lok Sabha elections.

Laying down the criteria for PM candidate, the resolution said that the person should be secular, must focus on inclusive growth backward states. The resolution also asked the BJP to make its stand clear on three contentious issues - Ayodhya, Article 370 and Uniform Civil Code.

The JD(U) has been pressurising the BJP to not name Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the NDA's PM candidate, with sources saying that he could split the votebank of the party in Bihar. The BJP, however, has claimed that the decision would be taken by the party's Central Parliamentary Board.

Earlier, the JD(U) hinted it would prefer senior BJP leader LK Advani over Modi as the NDA's prime ministerial candidate. The statement was made by senior JD(U) leader Devesh Chandra Thakur. "NDA has contested elections under LK Advani's leadership so I don't think there should be a problem for any NDA faction to go to polls under his guidance. Mr Advani will be definitely more acceptable to most of the faction of the NDA," he said.

Sources told CNN-IBN that JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar conveyed his party's compulsions to BJP chief Rajnath Singh during their meeting on Saturday evening. Nitish told Rajnath that the projection of Modi as NDA's PM candidate will lead to polarisation of votes and that it will shift minority votes away from JD(U), added sources. Rajnath in turn reportedly promised to discuss Nitish's points with the BJP and revert back. At its crucial meet in Delhi on Saturday, the JD(U) took on Modi saying he failed to tackle the 2002 Gujarat riots. Nitish also met senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Saturday.

The party, although not in many words, had on Saturday alluded its support to former deputy PM and BJP patriarch Advani. "We have earlier fought elections under LK Advani, how can we change our view now?" said JD(U) General Secretary KC Tyagi.