PM Modi's last council meeting likely today: Know agenda
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to chair the last meeting of the Union Council of Ministers on Sunday, days before the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are announced. The gathering will take place at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in New Delhi's Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave, as per reports. This comes a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming polls.
Why does this story matter?
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is likely to announce the dates for the general election and the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in the next few days. For this election, the party has set a target of winning over 370 Lok Sabha seats and more than 400 seats for its National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The party had won the previous two general elections in 2014 and 2019.
What is on the agenda?
Per Hindustan Times, the main focus of the council meeting will be devising a strategy for the upcoming elections and evaluating the NDA government's performance over the last two terms. The prime minister is expected to ask ministers for their feedback on government schemes and initiatives launched in the past ten years. He will also assess their readiness for the polls. The BJP-led NDA is optimistic about winning a third term in this year's Lok Sabha elections.
Schedule of previous Lok Sabha polls, results
The ECI has already begun assessing the readiness of states for the Lok Sabha elections, with a timetable expected later this month. In 2014, the commission unveiled the schedule for the nine-phase Lok Sabha election on March 5 and released the results on May 16. Similarly, the dates for the seven-phase 2019 elections were announced on March 10, while the results were declared on May 23.
BJP's past performance, target for 2024 polls
The BJP won 303 seats in the 2019 elections but currently has only 290 members in the Lok Sabha due to various reasons, including MPs resigning after winning assembly elections. Earlier, in the 2014 elections, the BJP won 282 seats, while its NDA won 336 seats. BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde has said, "[PM Modi] set 370 (seats) target for the BJP alone and the aim is to expand more geographical areas and also to strengthen NDA."
