New Delhi:BJP president Rajnath Singh announced Mr Modi as  the BJPs candidate for Prime Minister in 2014 on Friday evening after a meeting of the BJPs top decision makers.

“The BJP has a tradition of declaring its candidate for PM.The BJPs parliamentary party board has decided that Mr Narendra Modi will be our prime ministerial candidate in 2014,” Mr Singh said.

But the BJPs senior-most leader LK Advani was absent who steadfastly refused to support the decision, holding out till the end against all attempts to bring him on board. Mr Singh said Mr Modi would go straight from the BJP headquarters to Mr Advanis residence to seek his blessings.