Hours after the launch of the BJP’s manifesto on Monday, party president Amit Shah met the two veterans, L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, who, after many years, would be absent from contesting polls. Mr. Shah met the leaders amid strong indications that their exclusion from the candidate list and the manner in which they were excluded rankled.

“Mr. Shah drove to the residence of these two leaders, gave them copies of the election manifesto released on Monday and sought their blessings for victory,” a senior BJP leader said after the meeting.

No statement was forthcoming from either Mr. Advani, who has been replaced by Mr. Shah as candidate from Gandhinagar, or Mr. Joshi.

Earlier Mr. Advani has penned a blog stating that calling opponents anti-national for holding different views was not the BJP’s way.

Mr. Joshi had penned an open letter to voters of Kanpur stating clearly that he had been asked not to seek ticket by party general secretary Ram Lal.