By IANS
New Delhi : Lal Krishna Advani, the 80-year-old veteran Hindu nationalist politician, was Monday named by his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its next prime ministerial nominee, ending the era of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
BJP president Rajnath Singh made the announcement after the party’s parliamentary board unanimously agreed on Advani’s name as the one to lead it in the next general election.
A sombre Advani accepted the greetings of his colleagues at a press conference and thanked everyone in the party, in particular Vajpayee, whom he described in glowing terms.
“I pray to god to give me strength to live up to everyone’s expectations,” said Advani, a former deputy prime minister and now the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Monday’s announcement brings the curtains down on the long innings of the now ailing Vajpayee. He and Advani have been the most popular leaders of the BJP for decades.
BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said Advani was the unanimous choice of the party.
Asked if the decision had the backing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he told a television channel: “We are an ideological parivar (family). Once we take decisions, it is the decision of everybody.”
Javadekar denied that it was a hurried move.
“It has been done at the right time. It will give tremendous boost to the party cadres all over the country,” he added.