Foreign diplomats witness PM Modi’s roadshow in Madhya Pradesh

Indore: A three-member delegation of foreign diplomats witnessed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Indore ahead of the November 17 assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, with one of them describing polls in India are like a festival that people celebrate.

The delegation had first-hand experience of the ruling party’s election campaign, a BJP functionary said on Wednesday.

Michael Rees, second secretary in the Australian High Commission, Bazil M Lyakinana, minister (consular affairs) in the Tanzanian High Commission, and Mayumi Tsubakimoto, second secretary at the Japanese embassy were part of the delegation that witnessed the BJP's campaign for the assembly elections, the official said.

“We saw the prime minister's roadshow in Indore on Tuesday evening,” Japanese diplomat Mayumi Tsubakimoto told PTI.

“We also met local leaders to know how the BJP is reaching out to the people as part of its election campaign,” she said.

According to Mayumi, she saw that elections in India are like a festival that people celebrate.

A similar delegation comprising representatives of diplomatic missions from Nepal, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and Singapore had visited Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat to understand the party's campaign during assembly elections in the two states in November and December 2022 respectively, the BJP functionary said.

The programme is part of the “Know BJP” initiative launched by the party president JP Nadda on its 43rd foundation day in 2021.