Modi will be India's next PM: Yashwant Sinha

Modi could be appointed as BJP's prime ministerial candidate as early as September

A confident Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha has said Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will be the country's next Prime Minister.

"I am saying with full confidence that Narendra Modi will be the country's next Prime Minister," he told media here.

According to certain media reports, Modi could be appointed as the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate as early as September.

The BJP, which has appointed Modi as the party's campaign committee chief for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, wants to cash in on his popularity in the assembly elections in four big states at the end of this year.

BJP President Rajnath Singh is expected to meet senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders, including Mohan Bhagwat to finalise the party's blueprint for the elections.

Bhagwat has held a series of meetings in the last few weeks with various BJP leaders, including Lal Krishna Advani.

Advani, who had resigned from all party posts after Modi was appointed the chief of BJP's poll panel for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, was forced to do a U-turn after Bhagwat stepped in, and withdrew his resignation on June 11.

The BJP last month announced an 11-member campaign committee headed by Modi and 20 campaign panels to deal with manifesto drafting, vision document, new voters and media management among others.

BJP leader Ananth Kumar, who announced the list of 20 campaign committees, said they will be steered under Modi's leadership.

Kumar said senior BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani and party chief Rajnath Singh will oversee the functioning of central poll panel, which is headed by Modi.