Chunav Manch LIVE: ‘Crucial transformations in railways over the past 9 years,’ highlights Ashwini Vaishnaw

As the political landscape in Madhya Pradesh heats up in anticipation of the upcoming state elections, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took center stage at the ‘Chunav Manch LIVE’ event to provide valuable insights into the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prospects in the polls.

The railways’ transformation

In his address at the election event, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw elucidated that Indian Railways has witnessed remarkable growth and progress in the past nine years. He stated that substantial changes have occurred on a grand scale, signifying a monumental shift in the railways’ landscape. Over this period, a staggering 25,871 kilometers of new railway tracks have been laid.

To put this immense railway network expansion into perspective, the newly added tracks in the Indian Railways surpass the entire railway track network of Italy and South Africa combined. The magnitude of this development underscores the extraordinary strides taken by Indian Railways.

Extraordinary milestones

Minister Vaishnaw highlighted that in the state of Madhya Pradesh, during the past nine years, the extent of new track laid equals the entirety of railway tracks in Sri Lanka. This astounding comparison emphasizes the vastness of the railway network expansion in the region.

Electrifying progress

Furthermore, Minister Vaishnaw noted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a phenomenal 37,000 kilometers of railway tracks have been electrified over the past nine years. Notably, this accomplishment has resulted in 100% electrification of railway tracks in Madhya Pradesh.

In his presentation, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized the transformative changes that Indian Railways has undergone during the past nine years. These achievements are a testament to the government’s commitment to enhancing railway infrastructure, expanding the network, and electrifying tracks to provide an efficient and sustainable transportation system for the nation.

In the latest development, Congress on Sunday released the list of 144 candidates for the upcoming Assembly Election. State Congress President and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath will contest from Chhindwara while former CM Digvijay Singh’s brother Lakshman Singh has been fielded from Chachoura.

Earlier on Monday (October 9), the Election Commission announced the date for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls. According to the announcement made during the press conference, the election will be held in a single phase on November 17. The results for the same will be declared on December 3.

When polling will take place in Madhya Pradesh?

Madhya Pradesh is scheduled to undergo Assembly polls on November 17 (Friday) for 230 seats. Through the polls, the state will elect legislators from 230 constituencies. The election would be conducted in one phase in the state and the counting would be done on December 3 (Sunday). 

The election to the 230-member assembly in Madhya Pradesh is mainly fought between the ruling BJP and Congress. In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress had won 114 seats, while the BJP got 109. However, the Congress government fell after many MLAs under the leadership of Jyotiraditya Scindia, who later became a Union minister, joined the BJP.

The BJP returned to power in March 2020 with Shivraj Singh Chouhan as chief minister for a fresh term. The BJP’s current strength in the assembly is 127.

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Also read | MP Election 2023: Congress releases first list of 144 candidates, Kamal Nath to contest from Chhindwara