Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Credit: PMO via PTI Photo
New Delhi: To firm up preparations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been holding deliberations with lawmakers of states that head to the polls in 2026.
He met MPs from Assam on Tuesday, while deliberations were held with lawmakers from Bengal on Wednesday.
He could also hold a meeting with the two lone BJP MPs from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Suresh Gopi and L Murugan, respectively.
Modi gave Assam MPs the task of meeting targets for the enrolment of beneficiaries in Central schemes. In the case of Bengal MPs, he wanted them to lend support to the special intensive revision of electoral rolls (SIR), which is underway in the state.
A lawmaker from Assam said the prime minister specifically asked for the enrolment numbers of Central government schemes, especially for women and children.
“He inquired about the number of beneficiaries of schemes like PM Poshan and PM Kisan, and wanted to know the teacher-to-student ratio in rural areas,” said the lawmaker.
The MP added that Modi had come with data and asked for specific results by the next Session of Parliament — the Budget Session in February. Assam heads to the polls in March-April next year.
“He also told us that we must be connected with the people from the ground,” said the lawmaker.
Modi asked the Bengal MPs about the coverage of Central government schemes as well. “He asked us to begin preparing detailed presentations and ensure that all the groundwork for the upcoming political planning and mobilisation is done with,” said a lawmaker who was in the meeting.
The PM also told the lawmakers that the attack on BJP MP Khagen Murmu in October was part of the incidents of assaults carried out by the ruling Trinamool Congress, and that the leaders must tell voters about it.
One of the instructions he gave was to ensure support for the EC for the SIR process. He also reportedly said that the exercise was crucial for a “fair” election.
After the PM’s meeting, senior BJP politician and Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, also held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.