NEW DELHI: Despite the controversies shadowing him, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is seen as the tallest of BJP’s ‘gennext’ leaders and a strong showing by BJP in the next Lok Sabha election can make him a formidable contender for Prime Minister.

The BJP pecking order is unclear with an RSS-imposed arrangement that places party president Nitin Gadkari, the two leaders of opposition Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj and a couple of other senior leaders on roughly equal footing. But the party sees Modi as an in-house favourite.

Although the “division of labour” is holding and is not likely to be revised before the next election, Modi’s appeal within the party and the larger parivar is seen to be undeniable. He has the support of the cadre and is seen as a polarizing but charismatic campaigner capable of bringing BJP’s core vote to the polling booths.

“The choice or options on Prime Minister depend on the numbers BJP gets. If the party crosses the 180 mark in Lok Sabha, Modi can be seen as a natural choice. It depends on BJP clearly being in a position to lead a coalition,” said well-placed party sources. There can be no decision on Modi ahead of elections as such a move will immediate lead to the exit of partners like Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and even allies like Shiromani Akali Dal could have second thoughts. Rather than the National Democratic Alliance expanding, it would shrink in the light of Modi’s Gujarat riots baggage.

BJP leaders concede Modi’s candidature will face hurdles even if the party does well electorally on counts like the need for a unifying leader rather than one who can embroil the NDA into relentless firefighting. Domestic and international ramifications of such a choice would need careful thought. With BJP gaining over Congress for the first time in years, the mood in the main opposition is upbeat. Having failed to make an impact despite terrorism and price rise, BJP sees a chance to forge ahead.