New Delhi: National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda’s residence in New Delhi. The meeting comes when the opposition parties are targeting the BJP and its allies for allegedly disrespecting BR Ambedkar.
As the alliance celebrated the birth centenary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, sources indicated the crucial political issues, including the need for the NDA to present a united front to counter the Opposition narrative and simultaneous elections proposal were discussed in the meeting.
Several key players in the NDA attended the meeting, including TDP president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, JD(U) leader and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Apna Dal (S) president and Union Minister Anupriya Patel, and JD(S) leader and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.
VIDEO | Visuals of NDA leaders’ meeting being held at the residence of BJP National President and Union Minister JP Nadda in #Delhi.
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/pLh9xVF9zf
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 25, 2024
Further emphasising the coalition’s wide-reaching political influence, the meeting also included prominent figures such as Bihar’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (S) leader and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) president and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha, and Thushar Vellappally, president of Bharath Dharma Jana Sena. The high-level presence strongly emphasized the importance and weight placed on this NDA gathering.
While the official agenda remained undisclosed, sources indicate that discussions revolved around two key themes, good governance and the ongoing efforts to hold simultaneous elections.
The choice to hold the meeting on Vajpayee’s birth anniversary holds considerable political symbolism. Vajpayee, known for his leadership in successfully steering India’s first coalition government to a full term, is widely viewed as a master of coalition politics. Sources indicate that holding the meeting on this date is aimed at highlighting the NDA’s focus on its coalition partners and fostering cooperation and consensus among its diverse alliance partners.
Crucially, the meeting reaffirmed the NDA’s support for the proposal of simultaneous elections, a significant policy goal of the BJP-led government at the centre, currently under consideration. This proposal aims to streamline the electoral process and reduce the financial burden on the nation. A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which is set to convene on January 8th, is currently examining the necessary legislative changes needed to facilitate simultaneous elections.
