AIRLINK 74.20 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-0.12%)
BOP 4.95 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
CNERGY 4.38 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.23%)
DFML 39.25 Increased By ▲ 0.45 (1.16%)
DGKC 84.70 Decreased By ▼ -0.12 (-0.14%)
FCCL 21.10 Decreased By ▼ -0.11 (-0.52%)
FFBL 33.75 Decreased By ▼ -0.37 (-1.08%)
FFL 9.68 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.21%)
GGL 10.46 Increased By ▲ 0.04 (0.38%)
HBL 112.89 Decreased By ▼ -0.11 (-0.1%)
HUBC 136.50 Increased By ▲ 0.30 (0.22%)
HUMNL 12.02 Increased By ▲ 0.12 (1.01%)
KEL 4.73 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.42%)
KOSM 4.46 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.45%)
MLCF 37.70 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.13%)
OGDC 136.10 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-0.07%)
PAEL 25.25 Increased By ▲ 0.15 (0.6%)
PIAA 19.74 Increased By ▲ 0.50 (2.6%)
PIBTL 6.67 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.6%)
PPL 121.85 Decreased By ▼ -0.25 (-0.2%)
PRL 26.69 Increased By ▲ 0.04 (0.15%)
PTC 13.87 Decreased By ▼ -0.06 (-0.43%)
SEARL 57.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.22 (-0.38%)
SNGP 67.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.60 (-0.89%)
SSGC 10.28 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (0.29%)
TELE 8.38 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.24%)
TPLP 11.20 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (0.63%)
TRG 63.10 Increased By ▲ 0.29 (0.46%)
UNITY 26.55 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.19%)
WTL 1.37 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (1.48%)
BR100 7,797 Decreased By -12.8 (-0.16%)
BR30 25,133 Decreased By -17.4 (-0.07%)
KSE100 74,829 Decreased By -128.1 (-0.17%)
KSE30 24,042 Decreased By -40.9 (-0.17%)

imageNEW DELHI: India's opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), frontrunner to form the next government, faced criticism Thursday for failing to release its manifesto just days before polls open.

Reports earlier this week claimed the Hindu nationalists' programme would be unveiled on Thursday, but a party source told AFP it was now highly unlikely to be before Saturday -- two days before the first voters cast their ballots.

Some political observers have attributed the delay to internal differences within the party, which is being led by prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, a hardliner from western Gujarat state.

Modi, the favourite to become prime minister, is running on his credentials as the three-times chief minister of Gujarat where he has built a reputation as a hands-on leader and economic reformer.

"A party and leader which claims great administrative and managerial competence is unable to release its manifesto in time," Priyanka Chaturvedi, spokeswoman for the ruling Congress party, tweeted on Thursday.

"Why is BJP unable to produce even a manifesto on time?" she added.

India's mammoth nine-phase election starts on April 7 and concludes on May 12, with final counting on May 16.

"The main reason (for the delay) is that almost every senior leader who was made part of the manifesto drafting committee is fighting the election, and has been in his or her respective constituency, making it difficult to devote time to the document," a BJP leader told AFP on condition of anonymity on Thursday.

The ruling Congress party released its manifesto on March 26, pledging to create millions of jobs and new social schemes if it is voted back into power for a third consecutive term.

Comments

Comments are closed.