Representatives of 18 political parties from 10 countries have arrived in India on the invitation of the BJP to witness the Lok Sabha election. This is the first time that so many parties have been invited by the BJP that had earlier hosted heads of missions stationed in India and political parties from the neighbourhood. The delegation includes representatives of Israel’s ruling Likud party, though no Arab political party was on the list shared by the BJP.
Israel’s Likud party is at the centrestage of global politics because of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign against the Gaza Strip. India’s official position supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian crisis.
The current team being hosted by the BJP includes the Liberal Party of Australia, Likud party of Israel, Awami League of Bangladesh, Uganda’s National Resistance Movement, Tanzania’s Chama Cha Mapinduzi and Russia’s United Russia Party. Israel does not have official relation with Bangladesh, but the ruling parties of both the countries are together on this tour.
Political parties from Sri Lanka that have sent delegates for the visit are Podujana Peramuna and the United National Party. From Nepal, the Nepali Congress is among the visitors along with Janamat Party and Rashtriya Swatantra Party.
The BJP, that often has a combative line on the communist movement in India, has invited three communist parties — Communist Party of Vietnam, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). From Mauritius, Militant Socialist Movement, Mauritius Labour Party, Mauritian Militant Movement and Parti Maurician Social Democrate are part of the visiting delegation.
On Wednesday, BJP president J.P. Nadda and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met the delegation at the party headquarters. The BJP had hosted a delegation from Bangladesh’s Awami League before the January 7 election which led to the reelection of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In July 2023, Mr. Nadda had met the envoys of European, West Asian African and Caribbean nations.
India does not have a policy of hosting observers during the election but visitors from other countries are known to fly in during the poll season to experience the unique election system of India.
