PM Modi, BJP chief to attend party Chief Ministers’ meet on Today
Gearing up for the crucial assembly elections in three BJP-ruled states Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and Congress-ruled Mizoram, a key meeting of all BJP Chief Ministers has been convened on Tuesday.
BJP’s deputy chief ministers and senior ministers where the saffron party is in alliance with its partners like JD(U) in Bihar, NDPP in Nagaland and NPP in Meghalaya are also expected to attend the meeting, sources said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will address the 15 chief ministers of the saffron party in what is seen as a crucial interaction among the key leaders with just about seven-eight months to go for the all important 2019 general elections.
“Such meetings have taken place in the past also….The agenda of good governance and implementing welfare schemes has been a key feature of the chief ministers’ meetings. We will have such meetings again,” a party source said.
BJP has been pushing for simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and state assemblies – though the idea has been vehemently opposed by many opposition parties.
In quite a surprise move, BJP leader P Muralidhar Rao claimed that TRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao could advance Assembly elections in his state.
“Telangana CM Sh. KCR seems to be thinking of going for early elections along with four states ( MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram). He has the right to choose the timing of the elections. BJP is ready,” he tweeted.
Mr Rao, however, said – of course, the Election Commission has to take a “final call” about the same. The first Assembly elections to newly created state of Telangana was held in 2014 along with the parliamentary polls and that way the due dates for polls to the state Assembly is only next year.
TRS chief Mr Rao for sometime tried to enter into some understanding with regional parties for floating a viable third or a federal front, but he is reportedly not happy with the manner the opposition camp is moving on the same.
The Law Commission is likely to recommend a ‘legal framework’ for holding Lok Sabha and assembly polls together.
In a related development on Monday, the Congress party raised issue of alleged irregularities in the functioning of electronics voting machines.