New Delhi: BJP leader Uma Bharati has shot down party colleague Yashwant Sinha's idea that Narendra Modi should be declared the NDA's prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 elections because of his immense popularity.

Ms Bharati told TV Channal that popularity cannot decide the prime ministerial candidate. She said there were several leaders with lesser mass appeal but they could be very efficient as prime minister.

Mr Sinha had on Monday suggested that declaring Mr Modi as candidate for prime minister would benefit the BJP enormously in the elections. This did not go down well with the BJP's ally, Janata Dal United, which said the BJP should decide on a name and get it endorsed by the NDA.

Mr Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, is one of the BJP's tallest leaders and is expected to play a big role for the party in the run-up to the 2014 elections, and possibly thereafter. A hint of this has come from none other than the BJP's new president, Rajnath Singh, who says he would discuss a "bigger role" for Mr Modi in the run-up to the elections.