As PM Opens Grand Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, A Rajasthan Election Plan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Sohna-Dausa stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan's Dausa. The 246-kilometre stretch will benefit people travelling from Delhi to Rajasthan's capital Jaipur, who will now have an alternate and shorter route where travel time will be reduced by over an hour -- from five hours to around three and a half hours. It is also expected to boost economic opportunities in the entire region.

The PM addressed a public gathering in Dausa's Dhanawar village, in eastern Rajasthan, which is a 'Gujjar-Meena belt' -- two strong rival communities that dominate the region and form a crucial vote bank. Their votes had in the last election tilted considerably towards the Congress, helping the party defeat rival BJP.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi's pan-India foot march, Bharat Jodo Yatra, recently crossed this part of the state. The BJP is hoping the PM's visit, and the inauguration of this big infrastructure project, will boost the BJP's ratings in this area ahead of the Assembly elections, to be held later this year.

Gujjars, who constitute around 9 to twelve percent of the population, are significant in 40 to 50 assembly seats in eastern Rajasthan. They have in the past launched violent protests for reservation and had recently threatened to block Rahul Gandhi's entry into the state. In the last elections, the grand old party got a majority of the community's vote, in the hope that Sachin Pilot would be made Chief Minister, a first for the Gujjars. Lately, though, Congress has had a rebel crisis at hand, with Mr Pilot openly at loggerheads with Ashok Gehlot, even as the BJP, and the PM himself, are ramping up outreach to the community.

Tribals form 13.48% of Rajasthan's population, with the Meenas being a majority. They have traditionally been Congress voters, but BJP's Kirodi Lal Meena, a heavyweight of the community, is trying to firm up a base for his party in the electorally significant community. Mr Meena is a five time MLA, two time Lok Sabha MP, and a current member of the Rajya Sabha.

Both national parties were recently seen ramping up their outreach to the Gujjar community, with PM Modi visiting Malaseri in Rajasthan's Bhilwara on the 1111th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Dev Narayan, a folk deity revered by the Gujjar community, and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot declaring a state holiday, just ahead of the PM's visit, to honour the deity.

The PM is today expected to appeal to voters from both communities.

The first leg of India's longest expressway will open to the public right ahead of a hectic election year.

The grand expressway promises to bring down travel time from the national capital to its financial hub, Mumbai, by half, to just 12 hours.

Eight-lane-wide and nearly 1,400 kms long, it is being built at a staggering cost of over one lakh crore rupees.

The ambitious project, which aims to connect five key states of India, from Gujarat to Maharashtra, is envisioned as an engineering marvel.

With wayside amenities ranging from charging stations for electric vehicle, helipads, trauma centres, and dedicated lanes for electric vehicles, it is also Asia's first highway to have animal overpasses and wildlife crossings.

It also has SOS stations every two kms to seek assistance in case of accident or other emergencies.

The opening of the Sohna-Dausa stretch will connect Haryana's Gurugram, Sohna, Nooh, Mewat, and Rajasthan's Alwar, and Dausa, to the mega expressway.

The Delhi-Dausa stretch has eight entry and exit points.

With a top speed of 120 kmph for all vehicles, the highway can save nearly 300 million litres of fuel and 800 million kilograms of Co2 emissions every year.

The entire highway has automatic toll booths, and the toll tax will be deducted only once -- it will be calculated from the moment one enters the highway to the time they exit. The toll tax for the 220-km-long Delhi-Jaipur journey is Rs 70 rupees, which comes to 35 paise per kilometre.