Top leaders of the National Democratic Alliance, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are meeting here on Monday evening as a show of strength ahead of elections to the post of the President and the Vice President.
Leaders of 31 allies of the BJP, including its new friends that it has won over in Goa and Northeast, will attend the meeting after party president Amit Shah reached out to them.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who has often flayed the saffron party, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu will also attend the meeting.
Sources in the BJP said the meeting would be a show of strength of the NDA as well as an exercise in taking stock of the national political scene.
The meeting assumes significance as the BJP will need the support of its allies to push a candidate of its choice for the presidential election due in July.
The sources, however, insisted that this is not on the agenda of the meeting.
This is only the second meeting of top NDA leaders since the alliance stormed to power in 2014 and could result in smoothing over any differences between the BJP and many of its small allies, some of whom have often complained of lack of communication.
Its allies from Bihar, including Union Ministers Ramvilas Paswan and Upendra Kushwaha, besides Jitan Ram Manjhi; Uttar Pradesh leaders, including Union Minister Anupriya Patel and Om Rajbhar; besides a host of allies from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and other States are expected to attend the meeting.
Former Punjab Chief Minister and Akali stalwart Parkash Singh Badal will be present, the sources said.
Sajjad Lone from Kashmir; Ramdas Athavale; Raju Shetty and Mahadev Jankar from Maharashtra; Vijai Sardesai and Sudhir Dhavalikar from Goa; P C Thomas and Vellappally from Kerala; and Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling will also be attending the meeting, they said.
