Narendra Modi's target: Next Lok Sabha polls

With his induction into the Bharatiya Janata Party’s parliamentary board, the party's highest decision-making body, Narendra Modi's prime focus will be on the next Lok Sabha polls, a state BJP leader close to the Gujarat chief minister has said.

"Now, with the official announcement of his induction in the national parliamentary board and central election committee of the party, the entire focus of Modiji will be on the next general elections," the state BJP leader close to Modi said.

State party leaders feel that Modi's hat-trick in Gujarat assembly elections and his elevation to the party's key central bodies will now make him openly pursue his national ambition.

In the new team announced by the BJP on Sunday, Modi has been able to get a place for his close confidants like Amit Shah, charge-sheeted in two alleged fake encounter cases, and Smriti Irani.

"The entire team of party president Rajnath Singh has been created with the focus on 2014 elections," the BJP leader added.

BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar had said on Sunday that Modi has been included in the party's parliamentary board because of his increasing popularity.

"Narendra Modi is the senior-most chief minister of the BJP and has achieved top success in his state. He is the most popular leader in BJP. He has become an icon of non-corrupt good governance," Javadekar had said.

Before the announcement of the team in New Delhi, Modi had separate meetings with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday last and with L K Advani on Saturday.

Sources in the party said Modi will now be travelling to different states in the country to popularise his Gujarat model of development in the run-up to the general elections.

He is scheduled to address captains of industry in Kolkata on April 9.

Modi was also supposed to address a big gathering in Mumbai last month but it was cancelled due to the drought situation in Maharashtra.

The state party unit has also decided to organise a mammoth function in Ahmedabad on April 6, which is the 33rd foundation day of the BJP, where Rajnath Singh will be felicitated.