PM Modi to chair NDA CMs’ conclave in Chandigarh today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday chair a national conclave of all chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of the ruling NDA in Chandigarh with national development issues on top of the agenda.

The conclave, the first after the BJP-led NDA won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, will finalise plans for nationwide observance of two major events this year — 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution by the Constituent Assembly and 50 years of Emergency imposed by late Prime Minister and Congress veteran Indira Gandhi.

All 20 chief ministers of the NDA and their deputies will attend the half-day conclave, which will start soon after the swearing in of Nayab Singh Saini as the Haryana Chief Minister. There are 13 CMs and 16 Deputy CMs belonging to the BJP. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, Nagaland and Meghalaya are ruled by CMs of NDA partners of the BJP.

This is the first-of-its-kind conclave of the NDA after many years, senior BJP sources said. PM Modi would be present throughout the meeting and would guide the proceedings, they added. BJP president JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu and Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio would also lead the discussions.

“Deliberations at this meeting will cover a structured agenda covering national development issues. It will also discuss subjects like observance of Samvidhan ka Amrut Mahotsav and the ‘50th anniversary of the attempt to murder democracy’,” the BJP said.

The Constitution emerged as a major political issue in the 2024 national poll with the Congress-led Opposition managing to drive home the narrative that the NDA was seeking 400 seats in the Lok Sabha to “scrap reservation”.

The BJP-led NDA countered this charge, using Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks in the US that India could think of scrapping reservation only once society attained equality.

With NDA bigwigs set to gather on Thursday, all eyes will be on whether the ruling coalition will finally get its convener. The late George Fernandes was the first convener of the NDA in 1999 and stayed till 2008.

JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav replaced Fernandes. After the JD(U) snapped ties with the BJP in June 2013, TDP’s N Chandrababu Naidu replaced Yadav. The TDP withdrew support from the NDA in 2018 and since then, the post of convener has been vacant.

Will alliance get a convener?

• First meeting of NDA CMs after alliance won the 2024 LS poll
• On table — 75th year of adoption of Constitution, 1975 Emergency
• All eyes on whether the NDA will get its convener