PM Modi to chair last council meeting today ahead of Lok Sabha Elections. What’s on agenda?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 3 March chair a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers in what is said to be the last such exercise during the second term of his government. The prime minister has been holding meetings of the entire Council of Ministers from time to time to discuss key policy and governance issues.

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PM Modi meeting with Council of Ministers: What's on agenda?

 - Given the impending April–May Lok Sabha elections 2024, today's meeting of the council of ministers is expected to have political significance.

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-PM Modi will hold the meeting with the Council of ministers at the Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in the Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave.

- This meeting is also being held a day after the ruling BJP released the list of 195 candidates for the upcoming elections. The first list of 195 candidates featured high-profile names such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will again contest from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah who will be contesting from Gandhinagar in Gujarat. The list also has names of 34 Union Ministers and Ministers of State.

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-The Election Commission (EC) is likely to announce the poll schedule in a couple of weeks. Reports had earlier stated that schedule will be out after 13 March.

-One of the key points to be discussed during the exercise could be the highlights of the government's performance as the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has expressed confidence of retaining power at the Centre for a third term under Modi on the back of its development and welfare planks, news agency PTI has stated.

Previous dates for Lok Sabha elections

Meanwhile, the EC has begun reviewing the preparedness of various states for holding the Lok Sabha elections. In the year 2014, the EC had announced the schedule for the nine-phase Lok Sabha elections on March 5 and the results were declared on May 16. Later in the 2019, the poll panel had announced the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on March 10 and the results were declared on May 23.

(With inputs from PTI)