BJP HQ Gears Up For Grand Welcome Of PM Modi After G20 Success; Party Poll Panel Meet For MP, Chhattisgarh Also Planned

The BJP Headquarters in New Delhi is preparing for a busy evening today (13 September) as thousands of party workers are set to gather to give a grand welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the successful G20 Summit.

India's hosting of the prestigious summit and its ability to reach a consensus on the New Delhi Declaration is being hailed as a significant diplomatic victory.

This successful presidency of the G20, along with its advocacy for the Global South, has strengthened India's case for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council.

Following the welcome, the Prime Minister will immediately turn his attention to electoral matters and participate in the BJP's Central Election Committee meeting.

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and finalise the party's candidates for the crucial Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh elections, reports NDTV.

The committee had previously convened on 16 August to announce candidates for 39 constituencies in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and 21 in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh the following day.

These constituencies were specifically chosen as they do not have any sitting MLAs from the BJP.

Deliberations on the constituencies in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are expected to take place during Wednesday's meeting.

Madhya Pradesh has 230 Assembly seats while Chhattisgarh has 90.

The committee also includes BJP President J P Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The naming of candidates in August, three months before the upcoming polls in the states, came as a surprising move for many as the announcement came before the Election Commission of India had declared the poll dates.

The decision to announce the candidates early was seen as an effort to prevent any internal conflicts within the party and address issues before the elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram.

This is particularly significant as the party had faced defeat in all four major states in 2018.

In the subsequent Lok Sabha elections, the party made a strong comeback, winning Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, and outperforming the Congress in Telangana.

Additionally, it successfully ousted the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh following a rebellion led by Jyotiraditya Scindia, resulting in Shivraj Singh Chouhan being sworn in as chief minister in 2020.

Similar to 2018, the upcoming elections in the five states are being viewed as a 'semi-final' leading up to the Lok Sabha elections next year.

These elections have gained even more significance due to the BJP's defeat in Karnataka in May, which has left the party without power in any of the state in southern India.