In BJP external push, 25 global parties invited to have a ringside view of Lok Sabha polls, its campaign

The leaders of a slew of parties from countries across the world are set to visit India during the Lok Sabha elections on the BJP’s invitation to witness the scale of the polls and understand the ruling party’s campaign strategies.

The BJP has so far sent invites to more than 25 parties of foreign countries to send their representatives to observe India’s Lok Sabha polls, known as the world’s largest democratic exercise. Of them, 13 parties have so far confirmed their visits to India, BJP sources said. The party would disclose their details later.

Significantly, neither of the two US parties – the ruling Democrats and the Opposition Republicans – have been invited. A BJP leader explained, “For one, they are busy with their own Presidential elections. Also, the US parties are not structured like parties in India or in some parts of Europe. In the US, for instance, a party worker may not know the name of his party’s chairman, because the system makes only the office of the President or the US Congress prominent.”

The BJP has however invited the Conservative and Labour parties of the UK, and the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats of Germany.

No political party from Pakistan has been invited, given India’s poor relations with the neighbouring country. The Communist Party of China (CPC) has also not been invited.

From neighbouring Bangladesh, only the ruling Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League has been invited. The Opposition BNP has not been invited as it has been linked with a recent ‘India Out’ campaign on social media for boycotting Indian goods.

All prominent political parties of Nepal, including the Maoists, have been invited by the BJP. The same holds true for Sri Lanka, from where all main parties have been invited.

The BJP