New Delhi: Amid indications that the 2019 electoral battle has become more tough for the BJP after losing three key states in the Hindi heartland, which boosted the already resurgent Congress Party and energised the entire Opposition camp, the BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah, will meet the party leaders here on Wednesday. While the BJP parliamentary party meeting will take place in the morning at Parliament House, Mr Modi and Mr Shah will address the party leaders, including national office-bearers, state unit chiefs, organisational secretaries and others later in the day at the party headquarters. After losing Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan to the Congress in the just-ended Assembly polls in five states, the two meetings could see the Prime Minister addressing the issue of the poll defeat and encourage and motivate party leaders for the high-stakes 2019 Lok Sabha poll battle. Other than Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, the BJP won one seat in Telangana as compared to the five it had won in 2014 and one seat in Mizoram. In 2014, the BJP had bagged 62 of the 65 Lok Sabha constituencies in the three Hindi heartland states.
The BJP parliamentary party meets every week and the office-bearers meeting was decided last week. After the party’s humiliating defeat, Mr Modi had said that victory and defeat are an integral part of life and the results will further the BJP’s resolve to serve the people and the party will work even harder for the development of India. While congratulating the winners, he had said that his party accepts the results with humility.
While the BJP claimed that the Assembly poll results would not impact the Lok Sabha polls, many in the saffron camp feel that the development plank of the party will be more critically scrutinised after losing the three key states.
