Senior party leader Sushma Swaraj has reportedly been asked to convey the decision of the BJP's election committee to Mr Advani, who skipped a meeting of the panel in Delhi today as details of his candidacy were being discussed. Ms Swaraj is on her way to Mr Advani's residence.
Mr Advani, 87 and the BJP's seniormost leader, is a five-term MP from Gandhinagar. But his already strained relationship with Mr Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, nosedived last year when he staged a protracted and public protest over the party's decision to elevate Mr Modi.
In recent speeches, Mr Advani has denied any strain and has supported Mr Modi, but he is reportedly worried about how much support he will get from local party workers in Mr Modi's Gujarat.
The BJP won a huge mandate in the Madhya Pradesh state elections four months ago. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is seen as someone Mr Advani is close to and trusts. BJP workers in MP and the sitting MP Kailash Joshi had sought that the top leader contest from state capital Bhopal, where Advani posters sprang up in anticipation.
The Bhopal buzz gained ground after the party kept a decision on its candidate from there open while announcing nominees for other Lok Sabha seats in MP. But on Tuesday, the Gujarat BJP recommended, after a meeting at Mr Modi's residence, that Mr Advani contest from Gandhinagar again.
Arguing against Mr Advani re-locating, a leader close to Mr Modi said, "If he shifts out of Gandhinagar, Modi's political opponents will charge that a senior leader like Advani is uncomfortable in Modi's Gujarat."
LK Advani was also once the mentor of Narendra Modi. But they have not been the best of friends for years.
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