Patna:

A senior BJP leader on Sunday requested Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to contest from Nalanda Lok Sabha seat, which falls in Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's home district, in the next general elections. "I have requested Modi to contest from Nalanda parliamentary seat in the home district of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as he (Modi) is likely to sail through by a massive margin by riding on popular wave in his favour," BJP national vice-president C P Thakur told reporters here.

He, however, said it was up to the Gujarat chief minister and the party leadership to take a final decision. Stating that it was his personal opinion, he claimed Modi drew support from people of all sections of the society in Bihar who wanted him to become the prime minister as much as his supporters from other parts of the country do.

It is being speculated that Modi was weighing options to contest from either Lucknow or Varanasi. Meanwhile, Thakur's call to Modi to contest from Nalanda drew sharp criticism from the ally-turned-adversary JD(U). Senior JD(U) leader Shivanand Tiwari said the Gujarat Chief Minister appears to have lost grounds in his home state.

"(Otherwise), why would a leader like Modi seek to contest from Nalanda or Varanasi or Lucknow if he claims to be so popular in his own state?" Tiwari asked.