In light of rumors that many of the Vande Bharat train launches to date have been organized with an eye on Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Telangana that would go to the polls before Lok Sabha elections in 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off nine Vande Bharat trains on Sunday.
The number of trains allotted to the states with upcoming elections belies the Railway Ministry’s denial that the planning of train launches across states and routes is influenced by elections.
The Railway Ministry has introduced at least 15 new Vande Bharat trains since April 1, and nine more will soon begin running.
The BJP-run state of Madhya Pradesh has received three of the 15 new Vande Bharat trains, including two intrastate trains. The state received its first Vande Bharat in April, and two additional trains, all departing from Bhopal, were launched off in June. The first train improved Bhopal’s link with Delhi, while the second and third trains provided superior service in the direction of Jabalpur and Indore. On Sunday, there would not be any more trains for Madhya Pradesh.
Congress-ruled On Sunday, a new intrastate Vande Bharat will run between Jaipur and Udaipur in Rajasthan, a crucial state for the BJP. Since April, Rajasthan has had three trains. In April, the state received its first Vande Bharat between Ajmer and Delhi. Another railway between Jodhpur and Sabarmati in Gujarat was given to the state in July.
Seven of these 15 trains have been allocated to states, including Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, that will have elections within the next six months.
In May, between Puri and Howrah, Odisha got its first Vande Bharat, in preparation for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections that would be held there in the first half of 2024. From the new set of trains, it will now get a special train between Puri and Rourkela.
ELECTION FOR LOK SABHA IN MIND?
States like West Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu might provide a challenge for the BJP with the Lok Sabha elections only a few months away.
Kerala will get a second Vande Bharat train on Sunday after receiving the first one in April. With the exception of only one stop, it will follow the same itinerary as before. It’s interesting to note that only Kerala has gotten two intrastate trains that travel to the identical locations, Kasaragod and Trivandrum Central.
West Bengal received its first Vande Bharat in December 2022; two more trains arrived in May; and two more trains are already coming.
The first train in Tamil Nadu arrived in November 2022, while the second one arrived in April 2023. The fleet will soon include two additional trains. Two of these four trains operate inside one state. Four specific Vande Bharat trains will now run between Howrah and Chennai.
According to a ministry representative who spoke with News18, the train lines are chosen based on demand and necessity. “Vande Bharat trains currently link all of the states. Railways do not consider public opinion while approving routes, the official stated on the condition of anonymity.
The nine 8-coach Vande Bharat trains that will touch the rails from Sunday are Rourkela-Puri, Udaipur-Jaipur, Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram, Ranchi-Howrah, Patna-Howrah, Tirunelveli-Chennai, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Vijayawada-Chennai, and Jamnagar-Ahmedabad.
There are 25 Vande Bharat trains running at the moment overall. After Sunday, the number will rise to 34.