BJP preparing for 2019 Lok Sabha polls as scheduled
New Delhi, Aug 29 : Notwithstanding the push for simultaneous polls, the BJP appears to be in no hurry to go for parliamentary elections along with a round of Assembly elections due this year end.
The party is said to be preparing for Lok Sabha elections to be held on schedule in the summer of next year, reliable sources in BJP told IANS.
The party's current strategy on the Lok Sabha polls assumes significance in the context of speculation that the Lok Sabha polls could be advanced to be held along with the elections to the assemblies of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and Mizoram this year end.
They said that at their meeting held here on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah asked Chief Ministers of states ruled by the BJP to be ready by February-end on the government and organisational fronts for the Lok Sabha polls next summer.
They also said that Chief Ministers had been told to achieve the new targets regarding implementation of major welfare schemes of the central and the state governments by February 2019.
Amit Shah has directed the Chief Ministers to hold a conferences of beneficiaries across their state from mandal to district level.
At such conferences, the beneficiaries of Centre's and state government schemes would be invited and the focus would be to make them BJP voters. Shah has also given a 22-point agenda for implementation at the booth level.
The meeting was attended by 14 BJP Chief Ministers and seven Deputy Chief Ministers including those of Bihar, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
The meeting resolved to make Modi the Prime Minister again in 2019 by getting a bigger majority than achieved in the 2014 elections.
Several union ministers including Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Sushma Swaraj attended the meeting.
A senior BJP leader present at the meeting said the Chief Ministers were asked to come for the Tuesday meeting with a road map for the Lok Sabha elections.
The Chief Ministers presented a report card about targets achieved against goals set and their plans to set new targets to be achieved by February 2019 in implementing Centre's six major welfare schemes including Ujjawala, Aawas Yojana, Swachha Bharat Abhiyan and Ayushmaan Bharat.
The Prime Minister and the BJP President have asked the BJP Chief Ministers to get ready for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls at a time when there is an ongoing discussion on holding simultaneous polls to Parliament and state Assemblies.
Simultaneous elections from panchayat to Parliament was the main theme during the last meeting of the BJP Chief Ministers' Council meeting held in Delhi in February 2018. The issue did not come up on Tuesday.
According to sources, the Chief Ministers have also been asked to be in touch with smaller regional parties in their states so that the possibility of alliances could be explored for the elections.
In 2014, the Election Commission announced the poll dates on March 5. Balloting took place in nine phases between April 7 and May 12. The vote count took place on May 16.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
