The expressways provide the much-needed leeway to the Yogi Govt to showcase its development agenda despite the pandemic’s bottlenecks
Once reckoned as a Bimaru state, Uttar Pradesh today boasts of a slew of mega projects in the country's industrial, infrastructure and social landscapes.
Whilst the work on the Rs 30,000-crore Jewar International Airport project has started, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 18 had laid the foundation of Rs 6,000-crore Ganga Expressway project in Uttar Pradesh.
With expressway projects of about Rs 80,000 crore underway or already commissioned in the current regime of Yogi Adityanath, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has tactfully brought nearly half of the 75 districts in UP under purview of these mega infra projects.
Understandably so, the saffron outfit is eager to reap the political dividends of these road projects, which are positioned as game changers for the respective regions in the politically most crucial state.
The expressway projects under the belt of Yogi Adityanath include Ganga Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, Gorakhpur Link Expressway and Purvanchal Expressway. (Of these, Purvanchal Expressway has already been commissioned this year.)
There is a catch nonetheless. No chief minister piloting an expressway project has returned to power in UP.
Sample this. BSP Mayawati had started the mega Agra-Greater Noida Yamuna Expressway project during her tenure (2007-12) in UP. She had started the preliminary groundwork for the Ganga Expressway project too and some villages were even notified for acquisition.
However, 'Behanji' lost the 2012 UP elections to the Samajwadi Party, paving the way for a much younger Akhilesh Yadav to take the reins of the state from her.
On his part, Yadav started the Agra-Lucknow Expressway project during his regime (2012-17). He had also announced plans to develop the Purvanchal Expressway. However, he lost the 2017 UP assembly elections to a resurgent BJP fronted by its mascot Modi.
In contrast, the Yogi Adityanath government has launched four mega expressway projects since 2017 under different financing and construction models. The work on these flagship projects were not allowed to impede even during the stiff Covid-19 waves. The state government deftly tied up with the financial institutions to fund these projects and ensure that the original timelines were met.
Not without reason that PM Modi gave the moniker of 'Express Pradesh' to UP for the large number of expressway projects and the speed of work over the past 4-5 years.
The expressway jinx notwithstanding, the ruling BJP is hopeful of retaining power in UP due to its public welfare schemes, better law and order and the prospects of speedier socioeconomic growth in the periphery of big projects, especially expressways.
The Yogi government has already announced plans to develop industrial hubs and corridors in the swathes flanking these projects. To help farmers, agricultural mandis and food processing clusters are also proposed.
Considering the recent farmers' stir over the now-annulled central farm laws, the BJP government has been treading cautiously on the farmers' issues and taking all possible measures, both in action and verbal articulation, to keep the community in good humour.
The pandemic crisis, inflation, job losses and seasonal shortage of fertiliser are some of the elements, which have the propensity to play a spoilsport for the party in power. BJP is the candidate this time.
In this dynamic scenario, the expressways provide the much-needed leeway to the Yogi government to showcase its development agenda despite the pandemic bottlenecks. Since expressways are mammoth physical infrastructure spread over many districts and spanning hundreds of kilometres, they serve the purpose of subtly yet explicitly propagating the achievements of a government.
On umpteenth occasions, Akhilesh Yadav is seen and heard harping on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway built during his tenure. He makes snide comments on the now commissioned Purvanchal Expressway calling for comparing the quality of civil works and public amenities between the two mega roads to decide for their respective superiority.
Interestingly, Yogi Adityanath, the monk-turned-politician, has acquired the reputation of taking tough decisions and treading the unbeaten path. For instance, former UP CMs Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav never visited Noida while in office for the fear of losing successive elections. This is still known as Noida jinx.
However, after assuming office in March 2017, Yogi Adityanath has visited Noida more than once. On November 25, Yogi accompanied Modi to Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar district) for the ground-breaking ceremony of Jewar airport.
Another jinx associated with the UP CMs is that no CM has returned to power consecutively in the state over the past 35 years. While Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav have assumed the top post, they had to relinquish power, and could only return to office in later years.
Unfazed by the multiple jinx, Yogi Adityanath does not offer any credence to these theories. He has asserted that the saffron party would return to power with a thumping majority and prove the detractors and punters wrong this time.
Although the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced the UP poll dates and the political parties are still to come in the election groove, yet the major players viz. BJP, SP, BSP and Congress have started the process of mobilising their cadres and local level leaders.
Over the past few weeks, the state of UP has witnessed a slew of development projects being launched or dedicated by Modi, who takes these opportunities to take potshots at the rivals.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi have also been meeting the party workers in the state. Priyanka has even announced the manifesto of the grand old party with special focus on wooing the women voters.
BJP has sought suggestions from the people to compose its manifesto or 'Sankalp Patra' for the coming UP polls.
While, BSP never releases its party manifesto, the SP is expected to come out with its document soon to gain traction among the different sections of society.
Nonetheless, the coming weeks would throw up mixed visages of the political firmament in the country's most populous state. Whether the jinxes spoken about are broken or are further fortified would be one.
(The writer is a Lucknow-based financial and political journalist. The views expressed are personal.)