Narendra Modi Is Opposition Party’s Prime Ministerial Candidate

Ajit Solanki/Associated Press Narendra Modi, chief minister of Gujarat, during a two-day meeting of farmers in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on Monday.

Narendra Modi, 62, the chief minister of the western Indian state of Gujarat has been nominated as the leading opposition party, Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 national elections, the party chief said Friday evening.

Putting to rest months of speculation, the announcement came after a meeting of senior B.J.P. leaders at the party headquarters in New Delhi.

“Every ally of the N.D.A. has supported the candidature of Narendra Modi,” Rajnath Singh, the B.J.P. president said, referring to the National Democratic Alliance, a coalition of the opposition parties led by the B.J.P.

Lal Krishna Advani, 85, one of the senior most leaders of the B.J.P. was conspicuous by his absence from the meeting. He has on several occasions expressed concern over the qualifications of Mr. Modi for the country’s top job.

Many argue that the rise of Mr. Modi in the party eclipsed Mr. Advani’s own prime ministerial ambitions. Earlier this year, Mr. Advani resigned from his party leadership positions after Mr. Modi was chosen to lead the party’s political campaign for the national elections, bringing into open the differences within the party.

The man of the hour, Mr. Modi expressed gratitude to his colleagues and countrymen while addressing the Indian media after the announcement. He was quick to acknowledge the contributions made by senior party leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a former prime minister, and Mr. Advani, a former deputy prime minister.

“The hardwork of Atalji and Advaniji brought the B.J.P. a long way,” said Mr. Modi as he addressed the media for a few minutes.

“I will ensure that in 2014 the B.J.P is victorious. I will leave no stone unturned,” he said.

Few Indian politicians evoke dislike and admiration as intense as that inspired by Mr. Modi. He has been remodeling himself as a pro-business, pro-development leader who can bring about economic growth and make difficult decisions. Yet the ghosts of the 2002 sectarian violence haunt him. A riot in which more than 1,000 Muslims were killed and tens of thousands displaced from their homes under his watch in Gujarat.

In 2005, the United States government denied Mr. Modi a diplomatic visa and revoked his existing tourist/business visa under the Immigration and Nationality Act, which makes a foreign government official who is responsible for particularly severe violations of religious freedom ineligible for an American visa. The decision placed Mr. Modi in the company of, among others, associates of Slobodan Milosevic and an Indonesian Army general who was suspected of torture. Mr. Modi has been lobbying to have the decision reversed.

During the press conference, Mr. Modi referred to himself as a small town man who came from an ordinary family and rose through the ranks of his party over the years.

He described development and corruption as the decisive factors in the forthcoming national elections.

“In 2014, the country will vote against corruption and inflation and vote for development,” Mr. Modi said, while taking a dig at the governing Congress party.