Rajnath Singh asks BJP leaders not to comment on PM candidate

New Delhi: Amidst the demand from allies to announce the Prime Ministerial candidate, Bharatiya Janata Party President Rajnath Singh has asked all party members not to comment on the PM candidate. Warning the party leaders, Rajnath SIngh said, "I am appealing to all my leaders of BJP and workers not to speculate or give any statement on BJP's PM candidate."

He has reiterated that only the party's central parliamentary board can decide on the PM candidate and that there should be no speculations on this. "If any decision is to be taken on PM candidature, only the central parliamentary board will decide, we should not speculate on this," Rajnath Singh said.

Rajnath said this was the last time he was appealing to party members to stop speculation on the PM candidate. This comes amidst the Shive Sena and JD(U)'s demand for the declaration of NDA's PM candidate in advance.

He has reiterated that only the party\'s central parliamentary board can decide on the PM candidate.

The battle within the NDA continues and this time, it's been triggered by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) making a pitch for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The key NDA ally, JD(U), which is opposed to Modi, has questioned the entire exercise even while insisting on an early declaration of NDA's PM candidate.

The jostling within the BJP and the NDA has picked up with the election of Rajnath Singh as the party president in January. With the JD(U) having spelt out clear reservations on Modi, the Shiv Sena has endorsed Sushma Swaraj's name.

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