The Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre will mark its first anniversary in the third term and 11th overall on Monday. In its 11th year in power, the BJP went back to the drawing board to recraft its political and governance outreach and regained momentum by notching up surprisingly big wins in a string of Assembly polls as the burst of fresh optimism in the main Opposition Congress and other INDIA bloc parties following last year’s Lok Sabha polls fizzled out. If the BJP turned the tide in Haryana and Maharashtra, two states where it suffered reverses in the Lok Sabha polls, on the back of its welfare measures and social engineering associated with regional leadership, it also finally wrested Delhi after 26 years, eclipsing its adversary Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on his home turf. The BJP now appears set to make a fresh political charge after recouping the ground lost in the national polls a year back while the Opposition is back to its disjointed self, with the Congress searching for an elusive and emphatic state poll win in a state. BJP rivals like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and Kejriwal have drifted away from the Congress and the likes of Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) stare at an uncertain future. Despite the reduced majority, the Modi government has gone about with pushing ahead with the contentious part of its agenda. The support it received from the TDP, JD(U) and Chirag Paswan-led LJP (RV) in the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament, despite some voices of concern among them over its provisions, underscored the BJP's unchallenged dominance following its assembly poll wins. The government has also gone ahead with the push to its "One Nation One Election" bills, which are being scrutinised by a Joint Committee of Parliament, despite lacking the two-thirds majority required for the approval of the constitutional amendment measure. Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Telangana Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan is scheduled to visit “Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan” (VKSA) programme sites in Ranga Reddy district of Telangana on Monday. The visit intends to facilitate interaction with farmers and provide strategic guidance to enhance the campaign’s impact, an official release said. During the visit, the minister will interact with the farmers in Mansanpally and Ramachandraguda villages of the district. About 1,500 farmers and farm women from across Telangana are expected to participate in the scientist-farmer interaction session to gain insights into sustainable practices, improved technologies, and integrated approaches to agriculture and aquaculture, it said. An exhibition will also be organised to showcase innovations and products by Telangana KVKs and ICAR institutes of Hyderabad. – With PTI inputs
