NEW DELHI, 28 January 2008 — India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) began its three-day national executive meeting here yesterday stressing the need for unity among members of the National Democratic Alliance. The right-wing Hindu party is a constituent of the NDA and headed alliance governments twice in the past.

It was the party’s first meeting since Lal Krishna Advani was declared as the party candidate for prime minister, with the support of the NDA. Signaling that the BJP does not want to take any chances by facing the 2009 parliamentary elections alone, party President Rajnath Singh said at the meeting: “By approving our decision of declaring Advani as future prime minister, all our friends in the NDA have given a message of unity and collectivity. I believe that this collectivity will lead us to success.”

The meeting was being held for the first time in the absence of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

“The responsibility of realizing the unfulfilled dreams of Atalji has been given to Advani. We have to convert this golden opportunity into victory,” Singh said.

After retiring from active politics, Vajpayee gave his nod to Advani being named candidate for prime minister.

Less than a decade ago, the party banked on its Hindutva agenda to see it through elections. In contrast, it now sees the advantage of going along with the NDA. Singh made that clear when he asserted: “The NDA is the need of the hour and the demand of the nation.”

He credited Advani and Vajpayee with making a “memorable contribution” to the political rise of the BJP and hailed the spectacular success of Narendra Modi-led Gujarat and the party’s victory in Himachal Pradesh. “I fully believe the string of successes will further lead us to victory in the Lok Sabha (parliamentary) elections.”

Modi received a standing ovation lasting several minutes when he was called to the dais. “We have shattered the myth in Gujarat that the BJP government cannot return to power twice or thrice. Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan should also try to repeat this kind of success,” Singh said. In 2007, the BJP wrested Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand from the Congress party, Singh pointed out.

The BJP-ruled states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh go to the polls this year. Elections are also due in Delhi, which is ruled by Congress.

The current meeting, chaired for the first time by Advani, is expected to draft a strategy for the 2009 parliamentary elections. Although Modi was the star of the meeting yesterday, his name does not figure in the high-level team constituted by Singh to oversee 2009 Lok Sabha elections. A year ago, Singh dropped Modi from the parliamentary board of the party.

While Singh went overboard yesterday in praising Modi for his Gujarat win, several party leaders ruled out choosing the Gujarat leader as candidate for prime minister. “Advani is our candidate for prime minister. There is no question of Modi becoming prime minister despite his victory in Gujarat election,” a senior BJP leader, who did not want to be identified, said.