Today in Politics: All eyes on Modi ministry’s last huddle ahead of LS polls, focus on vikas

A day after the BJP’s announcement of its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers Sunday.

This is likely to be the last such meeting of the entire Modi ministry ahead of the Lok Sabha elections whose schedule is expected to be announced by the Election Commission very soon.

Among the key points for discussion at this marathon meeting could be the highlights of the Modi government 2.0’s performance since 2019 as well as its vikas (development) agenda. This would tie into the development and welfare pitch of the BJP’s campaign for the polls, among other issues.

The BJP is heading towards the elections with unprecedented confidence after Modi has underlined a target of 370 seats for the party on its own and 400 plus for its NDA coalition.

To achieve it, the party has already stitched up fresh alliances with smaller parties as well as regional outfits like Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka, got back its former partner Janata Dal (United) in Bihar, and has been in talks with parties like the TDP and Jana Sena Party (JSP) in Andhra Pradesh.

At present, the Modi ministry has 27 Cabinet ministers and 45 Ministers of State (MoS).

Farm unions to take decision

The agitating farmers who had announced their “Dilli Chalo” march over a range of demands had put their march on hold following the death of a young farmer named Shubhkaran Singh on February 21. They are currently at protesting sites at Shambhu and Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana borders.

On Sunday, after the last prayer meeting for Shubhkaran, they will announce their next course of action.

“We will march to Delhi in a peaceful manner if there is no repression from the Haryana