PM to bolster BJP in poll-bound Maharashtra
Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive on a whirlwind tour of Mumbai, Aurangabad and Nagpur on Saturday and inaugurate several infrastructure projects intended to boost the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prospects in poll-bound Maharashtra.
Besides Modi’s meetings with top state party leaders, the BJP may take the opportunity to induct some prominent politicians from the opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party into its fold in his presence, though details are not available.
In Mumbai, Modi will inaugurate the Mumbai Metro lines 10, 11, and 12, a mock Metro coach, the Bandongri Metro Station and BKC-Chunabhatti Connector, perform the ground-breaking ceremony of the Metro Bhavan and release the Brand Vision Document for MahaMumbai Metro, in the Bandra Kurla Complex.
The Metro Bhavan, to be built at a cost of around Rs 13 crore, is spread over 1.14 lakh square metres inside the lush green Aarey Colony, Goregaon attracting stiff opposition from many Mumbaikars, environmentalists and celebrities who apprehend a huge loss of green cover due to the project.
In Aurangabad, Modi will lay the foundation stone for a section of the upcoming Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, and inaugurate the AURIC Hall or the headquarters of the futuristic Aurangabad Industrial Township Ltd.
It is described as India’s first Greenfield Smart Industrial City coming up on over 10,000 acres in Marathwada as part of DMIC, being developed jointly with Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).
That evening, Modi will also lay the foundation stone for a Metro coach manufacturing factory in Nagpur and a Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) or ‘MahaMetro’ project to connect Nagpur with Wardha, Ramtek and Bhandara.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP President Chandrakant Patil, central and state ministers and other party officials shall remain present with Modi at all these functions unveiling crucial infrastructure projects ahead of the October Assembly election.