Narendra Modi at BJP headquarters in Delhi
is in Delhi today for a meeting of top BJP leaders that is expected to decide whether he will run for Parliament from Gujarat.
Mr Modi, 64, is his party's prime ministerial candidate. He has already been announced as the BJP's candidate from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, a move designed to infuse voters in India's largest state with enthusiasm for the party. Mr Modi is generating huge support for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh; by having him contest the national election from here, the BJP expects dividends in other parts of the state.
For weeks, there have been reports that Mr Modi will contest a second seat from his home state, where he is serving his fourth consecutive term as Chief Minister. He has never contested a national election and is a member of the Gujarat legislature.
In Gujarat, sources say, the BJP is choosing between Vadodara and Ahmedabad East as Mr Modi's constituency.
(Read more)Mr Modi has been forecast by an array of opinion polls as the frontrunner for the country's top job. NDTV's opinion poll shows the BJP's national alliance landing 219 seats. To form the government, the BJP will need 272 parliamentary seats.
Vadodara in central Gujarat has a large middle and upper class population, and the BJP is on solid ground here. Some within the party feel that fielding Mr Modi from here could drive momentum in other areas where the party is not as strong. Ahmedabad East is a BJP stronghold. It is currently represented in parliament by Haren Pathak, known for his proximity to Mr Advani. BJP sources say the party is concerned that displacing Mr Pathak could be seen as an undermining of Mr Advani- and that could lead to Mr Modi landing the Vadodara constituency instead.
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Last year, the BJP ignored Mr Advani's public resistance to placing the party's campaign in the hands of Mr Modi. After he was over-ruled, the veteran leader has been supportive of his party's presumptive prime minister.