Modi to front India's Opposition

INDIA: Indian politician Narendra Modi was chosen Sunday to front the main Opposition's campaign for general elections in 2014, boosting his chances of becoming the nation's next Prime Minister.

Modi, Chief Minister of the thriving state of Gujarat for more than a decade, said he was "extremely grateful" for the opportunity to head the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) election panel.

Modi, a Hindu nationalist, said in a message on his official Twitter account that he would "leave no stone unturned" to defeat the Congress party, which has been in power since 2004.

"Our aim should be a Congress-free India...if we can free this country of the Congress, all our problems will be solved," Modi said in a post-appointment speech to loud cheers from party workers. The BJP, the main Opposition in Parliament, appointed Modi to the post at a meeting in the coastal state of Goa despite some misgivings expressed by his senior colleagues.

"I have today appointed the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi the chairman of the election campaign committee," BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters at a meeting of the national executive called to prepare for next May's vote.

The post is seen as a stepping stone for Modi in his quest to be named the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate. Modi has painted himself as a pro-business reformist who can revive the f ortunes of the world's largest democracy.

Congress is hoping for a third straight victory in the elections but its coalition government has been hit by a string of graft scandals and a slump in economic growth.

In his new role Modi will have to canvass for votes around India, forge strategies to attack Congress and build support for his candidacy as premier.

He will need to win the backing of senior BJP members as well as the party's regional coalition partners before he can gain the candidacy.

Some BJP members have expressed doubts over his ability to steer votes away from the secular Congress, an analyst said.Modi will need to prove himself in politically important states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in north India, both of which are dominated by regional parties and are home to a significant Muslim population. Some observers expect a face-off between Modi and Rahul Gandhi, 42, who is the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty at the helm of the Congress party. Polls show significant support for Modi among the urban middle class, who are frustrated with Congress and uneasy over the prospect of the untested Gandhi becoming premier.

AFP