BJP National Executive Meet: PM Modi and Amit Shah are attending the meeting.
Highlights
- The meeting will be attended by 124 national executive members
- Several Chief Ministers are expected to join the meet virtually
- Assembly elections will be held early next year in five states
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda are attending the party's national executive meeting, the first since the pandemic broke. The discussion is expected to be on the election strategy in five states that will vote next year.
PM Modi is expected to deliver a key address at the meeting, which is being attended by 124 national executive members. Several Chief Ministers and members from different states joined virtually.
"In view of the ongoing COVID-19 protocols, all state presidents, state general secretaries (organisation) and national executive members of that respective state will attend the meeting virtually from their respective state party offices," the BJP said in a communication to all its state units.
Speaking at the meeting, Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, highlighted the BJP government's efforts during the pandemic. "Along with a pandemic comes economic devastation and starvation, but strong decisions were taken by the Prime Minister at the right time," he said. He stressed that the economy was getting back on track because of timely decisions by PM Modi. Detailing the efforts of the government to contain the pandemic, he said that 30 per cent of Indians are fully vaccinated and the country has touched 100 crore vaccines. " We had the largest food program in the history of mankind," he added.
The bypoll results in three Lok Sabha and 29 assembly seats across 13 states and a Union Territory may weigh on the minds of the party leadership. The Congress winning the Lok Sabha bypoll and three assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh -- a state ruled by the BJP -- has caused concern in the party ranks.
The party, however, did well in the northeast, winning all nine seats, and Madhya Pradesh.
At the venue of the national executive meeting, the party will hold exhibitions about the government's "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" programmes and pro-poor measures like providing free grains to the poor and the Covid vaccination exercise, reported news agency Press Trust of India.
The party will also highlight its efforts to help people during the pandemic.
Assembly elections will be held early next year in five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. Elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat will be held in late 2022. Except Punjab, the BJP is in power in all these states.