NEW DELHI, 12 December 2007 - A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named L.K. Advani, 80, as their prime ministerial candidate, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the decision was based on the party's fear that incumbent Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi might stake claim to the post.

"Fearing danger from Modi, the BJP has crowned Advani," the prime minister said speaking to journalists in Vadodara, Gujarat.

In response, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javedkar said in Ahmedabad, "Basically, by making such a statement, the prime minister has conceded that Modi will win Gujarat election."

Advani's nomination came a day ahead of the first phase of polling in Gujarat, which took place yesterday.

Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said, "It is a desperate attempt by the BJP ahead of the Gujarat polls amid reports that Modi is on his way out."

Dismissing prospects of Advani becoming prime minister, Ahmed said, "There is no vacancy as Manmohan Singh is the prime minister now and the United Progressive Alliance will get majority in the next poll."

However, the BJP's National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies and right-wing associates welcomed the nomination. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said his party, the Janata Dal-United (JDU), would not accept any deviation from the common NDA agenda. "The JDU welcomes and supports Advani's candidature as PM," he said.

Ram Madhav, from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, said, "Whatever decision is taken by the BJP, has our support."

The timing of Advani's nomination as the prime ministerial candidate is linked strongly to the party's internal politics rather than national elections. It seems that through the nomination, the saffron brigade wants Modi to learn, irrespective of whether he wins or loses the Gujarat polls, that he should not have ambitions of becoming the prime minister. The nomination also aims to end political row between Advani and BJP President Rajnath Singh.

Meanwhile, in another development, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh and senior BJP leader V.K. Malhotra, who were earlier issued notices by the Election Commission, filed their responses yesterday.

"We have filed an appropriate and detailed response. We are certainly not sharing it with the press," said Abhishek Singhvi. "All I can assure you is that detailed reasons have been given to demonstrate that there is absolutely no question of a violation of the model code of conduct," he added.

Sonia was said to have referred to Modi as a "merchant of death" while campaigning in Gujarat.