34 trips Since 2013, 7th This Year: How PM Modi And Madhya Pradesh Share Special Bond – News18

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will touch down at Bina in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday, making it his 34th trip to the state marketed as ‘Hindustan ka dil’. Since 2013, he has visited Madhya Pradesh 33 times and, though he will lay foundation stones for development projects, BJP sources indicated that he has a special bond with the poll-bound state. No wonder then that the BJP has decided to go with his face alone in the upcoming assembly election, banking on his approval ratings and the bond he shares with the people of Madhya Pradesh.

Not so long ago, while releasing the BJP’s report card in Madhya Pradesh, union home minister Amit Shah’s speech was peppered with numbers articulating “how much the prime minister has given to the people of Madhya Pradesh”.

6 trips to MP in 2023 alone

Out of his 33 trips to Madhya Pradesh, the prime minister directly took part in events at big cities like Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain and Jabalpur as well as relatively smaller places like Reeva, Ratlam, Mandsaur and Khandwa. He has also visited Chindwara, which is known to be the home turf of Kamal Nath, the chief ministerial face of the Congress.

State BJP leaders said Prime Minister Modi has visited Ujjain, Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Reeva and Gwalior multiple times. As a prime minister, this year alone, he has visited MP at least six times and has “gifted the state in abundance each time”, they said.

Let’s take a look at his 2023 trips to Madhya Pradesh:

August 12: The PM visited Sagar, where he laid the foundation stone of the Sant Ravidas temple, as well as for road projects worth Rs 1,580 crore and also inaugurated rail projects.

July 1: The PM visited Shahdol where he inaugurated the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission. He also distributed Ayushman Bharat cards among tribals and interacted with self-help groups.

June 27: This time it was Bhopal’s turn, where PM Modi flagged off two new Vande Bharat trains.

April 24: Modi visited Reeva to inaugurate eGramSwaraj-GEM portal and also distributed 35 lakh SVAMITVA cards, which will bring financial stability to rural residents by enabling them to use their property as an asset for taking loans and other benefits. On the same day, he also distributed keys to four lakh people for homes built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

April 1: This time, Modi launched the Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat train from the state capital.

January 9: The PM visited Indore to issue postal ballots and take part in the ‘Pravasi Bharat Day’.

What does Modi’s 34th trip look like?

This will be Modi’s seventh trip to the poll-bound state this year alone and he is expected to announce development projects worth more than Rs 50,000 crore. The PM will lay the foundation stone of a petrochemical complex at Bina refinery; power and renewable energy manufacturing zone in Narmadapuram; and mega industrial park in Ratlam.

“During the programme, the prime minister will also lay the foundation stone of 10 projects – power and renewable energy manufacturing zone in Narmadapuram district; two IT parks in Indore; a mega industrial park in Ratlam; and six new industrial areas across Madhya Pradesh,” said a press release from the prime minister’s office.

With the aim of promoting balanced regional development and uniform employment opportunities in Madhya Pradesh, six new industrial areas will also be developed at Shajapur, Guna, Mauganj, Agar Malwa, Narmadapuram and Maksi.