Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Azamgarh on July 14 to lay the foundation stone for the Purvanchal Expressway, the tender process for which is yet to be completed. From there he is likely to visit his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi the next day.
The visit is significant considering that Azamgarh is neither the starting nor the end point for the 353-km long project. It is, however, the parliamentary constituency of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh and with general elections slated to be held next year, it would be an opportune moment for the BJP to motivate its supporters.
The Indian Express had earlier reported that the party planned to bring in more senior leaders, including party chief Amit Shah, to the state to keep its cadre “active”. “We have confirmation that the Prime Minister has given consent to inaugurate the project on July 14 in Azamgarh, although an official announcement is yet to be made,” said a senior state government official.
BJP Azamgarh chief Jainath Singh also confirmed the PM’s arrival. “Azamgarh has been selected to send the message to entire Purvanchal (Eastern UP) that this expressway would change lives and bring development to even in under-developed districts like Azamgarh,” he said.
A source confirmed Modi’s planned visit to Varanasi. The Purvanchal Expressway was a project conceived during the previous SP government led by Akhilesh Yadav and was then known as the “Samajwadi Purvanchal Expressway”. The tender process, which was cancelled twice by the current government, is yet to be completed. The fresh tenders were approved by the cabinet last week.