No foreign visit on cards as PM Modi focuses on 2019 polls

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not expected to make any foreign visits in the first four months of the coming year in order to focus on local issues ahead of the general elections, senior government officials familiar with the development said on condition of anonymity.

To be sure, they added, there are no major multilateral events in the coming months at least not any that require the PMs participation. In the last year, Modi made 14 overseas visits. In addition to his prime ministerial responsibilities, Modi is also the BJPs most important campaigner. The party has faced its most significant losses in the past five years in the recent elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

Modi will also participate in the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations in Varanasi during January 21-23. The prime ministers most recent foreign visits were to Japan in October, Singapore (for events related to the Asean Summit), the Maldives (for President Ibrahim Solihs swearing-in) and Argentina (for the G20 Summit) in November.