Rajnath replaces Modi as BJP campaign committee chief

BJP president Rajnath Singh Sunday replaced Narendra Modi as the chief of the campaign committee for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls following elevation of the Gujarat chief minister as prime ministerial candidate.

The decision was taken by the party's parliamentary board which met here Sunday.

Modi relinquished the position and proposed Rajnath Singh's name.

Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Ananth Kumar later told reporters that Rajnath Singh's name was accepted unanimously by all the parliamentary board members.

Party sources said that the decision was expected as Modi could not have run his own campaign.

They said that the sub-committees under the campaign committee were headed by senior leaders and it was expected that Rajnath Singh will be appointed to head the panel.

Modi was declared prime ministerial candidate after protracted discussions in the party Sep 13. BJP patriarch L.K. Advani had not attended the parliamentary board meeting that decided Modi's elevation.

The Gujarat chief minister was declared chief of party's campaign committee for 2014 Lok Sabha polls in June this year.