A delegation of representatives from 18 political parties across 10 countries were briefed about the ongoing Lok Sabha elections by Union ministers S Jaishankar and Ashwini Vaishnaw and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda on Wednesday.
During the interaction at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, the delegation was given a detailed presentation on how the general elections are conducted, use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the process of drafting election manifestos, a senior party leader said.
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“Nadda and Jaishankar addressed the delegates. Vaishnaw gave a presentation on the BJP’s manifesto, detailing how the election document is prepared. He spoke about the preparations, including how provisions are made for allocation of resources to fulfill the poll promises,” the leader said, seeking anonymity.
Senior BJP leader Shishir Bajoria gave a presentation on EVMs, starting with their genesis and their pan-India use since 2004.
“Joined @BJP4India President @JPNadda ji and ministerial colleague @AshwiniVaishnaw ji in welcoming representatives of political parties this evening in New Delhi. Confident that their visit to India will contribute to a better understanding of our robust democratic processes,” Jaishankar said in a post on X after the interaction.
Nadda also took to the micro-blogging site, saying: “Had an engaging discussion on BJP’s election campaign strategies and the overall electoral process with representatives of eighteen political parties from ten countries at the BJP HQ.”
The delegates were mostly from ruling parties of the concerned countries; opposition parties were also invited from Australia, Mauritius and Nepal.
Besides Nepal and Mauritius, countries invited from the neigbourhood are Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Significantly, there were no representatives from the Maldives, whose relations with India have nose-dived in recent months over President Mohamed Muizzu’s pro-China approach.
Representatives from political parties in Uganda and Tanzania also participated in the interaction. The two countries have been key partners in the Indian side’s current focus on Africa aimed at strengthening trade and energy ties.
The interaction is part of the BJP’s Know BJP Initiative that seeks to strengthen the outreach between the ruling party and other political parties outside India.
The delegation has been divided into teams that will travel to Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to witness the polling process.
