The decision to promote party general secretary Rajnath Singh to president will be formally announced at the opposition party's five-day conclave in Mumbai from December 26 to 30, the news agency said, quoting party sources.

But outgoing president Advani said yesterday no decision has been taken on his successor as reports circulated that Rajnath Singh was tipped to take over from him.

"I have nothing to say because no decision has been taken," Advani, who is scheduled to step down after the party's silver jubilee national conference in Mumbai next week, said when asked about his reaction on news that Rajnath Singh was all set to become the next president.

Advani announced his intention to step down in September, months after comments he made on a trip to Pakistan caused an outcry in the BJP and alienated its hardline Hindu backers.

Singh, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, is perceived within the party as being on good terms with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP's staunchly Hindu allies.

"It's a choice blessed by the RSS," said political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan on Saturday.

"The main reason (for choosing him) is he's someone you can get along with," he said. "He's a team leader."

Compared to other BJP leaders, Singh appears to be a more low-key figure, a quintessential party man.

Rangarajan also said the party chose the upper-caste Singh with an eye to gearing up for state assembly elections to be held in 2007 in Uttar Pradesh.

The Hindi-speaking state used to be a BJP stronghold but the party has slipped there in recent years.

"Uttar Pradesh is a key battleground state and within Uttar Pradesh, the upper-castes are a key battleground," said Rangarajan.

Although the ancient Hindu caste system is supposed to have been abolished it continues to be observed in much of the country, with many people voting along caste lines in political elections.

The Times of India daily said Singh's "combination of organisational skills and facility with Hindi" would help the party in northern India.

Party members are also hoping Singh will be able to rescue the BJP from the turmoil in which it has been mired since its shock election defeat by the Congress party last year.

Since its May 2004 election loss, the BJP has become polarised between moderates wanting the party to move to the centre, and hardliners who feel a return to the core values of hardline Hindutva (Hinduness) will win more votes.

The divisions within the party came to a fore in June, in the firestorm that surrounded Advani after he lauded archrival Pakistan's founder as a "great man" during a trip there.

Analysts said at the time Advani's praise for Muhammad Ali Jinnah as a man who "created history" was a bid to steer the BJP toward the mainstream and reach out to secular allies.

But the attempt backfired spectacularly on 77-year-old Advani, who spearheaded the ascent of Hindu right-wing politics in India.