Handpicked by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, amid a continued opposition lead over Lula's choice, Dilma Rousseff, may not be ruled out to be winner of Brazil's presidential election in October.

Pushed forward by the ruling Workers Party as Brazil's first woman president-in-waiting, Rousseff, 62, is currently the Cabinet chief. However, opposition candidate and Sao Paulo state Gov. Jose Serra continues to hold a lead, though opinion polls suggest he has lost ground.

If, as expected by the ruling party, Rousseff wins election in October, Lula is widely seen poised to remain as the power behind the throne.

This week's opinion polls showed that Serra's lead could be narrowing as the ruling Workers' Party campaign for the Oct. 3 gains momentum. In the meantime, the polls showed that support for Rousseff jumped to 25 percent from 17 percent.

Rousseff is expected to be endorsed as its candidate by The Workers' Party at a convention this weekend. Analysts attributed Rousseff's gains to Brazil's buoyant economy and Lula's enormous popularity.

The fact that Lula's economic policy is working well for Brazil and a move away from its key features will only reverse Brazil's economic gains, adding to Rousseff's strength is an unspoken national consensus, encompassing the opposition.

Brazil bounced back from recession in 2009 and current indicators suggest its economy is likely to grow by more than 5 percent this year. Economists cite Lula's economic policy, including a free-floating currency and a budget surplus, as the reasons behind the cross-party approval of his economic program. (With Input from Agencies)