BJP patriarch L K Advani resigns after Narendra Modi made poll chief

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He now remains only a primary member of the party. He also continues to remain the active chairman of the NDA and the chief BJP parliamentary party.

Advani has resigned from the BJP’s parliamentary board,the central election committee and the national executive.

The party is in deep crisis after this development,given the deep differences among its own leaders on giving Narendra Modi such prominence in leading to the 2014 general elections.

It is learnt Advani’s close associate Deepak Chopra called on party president Rajnath Singh in the morning to communicate the veteran leader’s decision to resign. Singh rushed to Advani’s house soon after to dissuade him from putting in his papers. But Advani is so far adamant.

This decision will escalate the BJP’s internal crisis to the wider NDA camp. NDA partners JD(U),Akali Dal and Shiv Sena will now have to take a stand on whether they would like to continue working with the BJP — minus Advani in an influential position.

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar has already said today that his party would discuss threadbare the BJP’s decision to make Narendra Modi head of the 2014 poll committee. This indicates they might have something to say against the BJP’s stand on Modi.