PM Modi doesn’t want to do a Bihar in UP; playing development plank yet again, setting impactful goals before polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is exploring each and every opportunity for upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Yet again, it is playing the development plank and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set short goals for its ministries to achieve them in the state and complete crucial projects.

Unlike Bihar strategy, for UP the BJP will have short term goals that can major impact on the ground. Modi has asked ministries to make a list of plans that can be completed by the end of December.

"The party and the government have asked the ministries on the status of projects currently going on in the state of Uttar Pradesh by August 15. The ministries will also have to share a list of projects that can be completed by the end of the current calendar year. The non-infrastructure ministries can be exempted but the infrastructure ministries will have to come up with a list of doable projects," a government official aware of the development told ET.

For instance, the aviation ministry will upgrade seven airports and make them operational under the regional connectivity scheme.

Also, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari held meetings with field officials and engineers of the National Highways Authority of India in Uttar Pradesh.

But, all the plans can hit a roadblock as to upgrade several state highways to national highways, the Centre needs No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government.

Uttar Pradesh currently has 31 ongoing major national highway projects being constructed at a cost of Rs 19,400 crore. The total length of these projects is 2,156 km. The ministry is looking at early completion of these highways.