The meeting with chief ministers of BJP-ruled states has been an annual affair since 2014.
Highlights
- BJP has 15 chief ministers and seven deputy chief ministers
- Meetings with BJP chief ministers held every six months since 2014
- Meeting at BJP's new, sprawling headquarters in Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah are having a day-long meeting at the BJP headquarters today with chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of party-ruled states to discuss the strategy for a series of state polls scheduled later this year and the 2019 national election.
Assembly elections are due later this year in party-ruled Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. In the first two states, the BJP has been ruling for 15 years and will seek a fourth term. The party faces a strong anti-incumbency factor in all three. Chief Ministers of the states are expected to make presentations in a separate meeting.
In Rajasthan, the government of Vasundhara Raje will seek a second term in power.
The party will also take stock of governance in other states, which will prove crucial to next year's mandate. Sources said the Chief Ministers have been asked to present a report card of their government's achievements where execution of the central schemes, especially the 12 flagship projects, will be a key focus area. Party chief Amit Shah has visited most of the states in recent weeks.
"Discussions are likely to focus on general strategy and preparedness for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls," a BJP leader said. The chief ministers will be asked to give their estimate of the number of Lok Sabha seats the BJP can count on winning in their states.
The BJP has 15 chief ministers and seven deputy chief ministers, including two in Uttar Pradesh and one each in Gujarat, Bihar, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura.
In Bihar, the BJP is part of the coalition government led by Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United and in Nagaland, it is part of the ruling People's Democratic Alliance.
The party is likely to discuss possible alliances in other states, where opposition parties are prepping to join forces to take on the BJP.
This is the first major meeting of the party after its veteran leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee's death on August 16. The meeting is likely to begin with a tribute to the three-time prime minister.