Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Mumbai on January 19 to inaugurate Mumbai Metro 2A and 7, and the Navi Mumbai Metro. He will inaugurate a bunch of other projects, too, including sewage treatment plants, a cancer hospital in Thane and roads.
However, this has thrown a spanner in the works for Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who are scheduled to visit Davos to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting from Jan 16-20.
The BJP’s national executive meeting is also slated for Jan 16-17 in Delhi to deliberate on the party’s strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections this year and preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Inauguration by PM important in view of upcoming civic body polls
The inauguration of the projects by the PM is important for the BJP, which has an eye on the BMC polls, especially as the BJP and Shinde’s Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena have geared up to assume power in India’s richest civic body by defeating the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray party.
The BJP is expected to organise a big event, possibly at the Bandra Kurla Complex, in a serious bid to put up a show of strength on Jan 19 for the PM’s visit.
Notably, the BJP has already launched ‘Jagar Yatra’ across Greater Mumbai as a part of its outreach programme. The party has also announced that it will contest the upcoming civic elections in alliance with Shinde’s Sena faction though it has yet to reveal the seat-sharing arrangement.
CM Shinde's Davos Delegation to propose Maharashtra as favoured investment destination
Meanwhile, a senior officer from the industry department said that the CM’s Davos delegation will comprise Fadnavis, Industry Minister Uday Samant, Additional Chief Secretary in the CM’s office Bhushan Gagrani, DCM’s secretary Shrikar Pardeshi, Principal Secretary (Industries) Harshadeep Kamble, MIDC CEO Vipin Sharma, DCM’s officer on special duty Kaustubh Dhavse, Maharashtra Institution for Transformation Vice Chairman Ajay Ashar, MIDC General Manager Abhijit Ghorpade, Samant’s private secretary and a team from global audit and servicing firm KPMG.
In Davos, the delegation proposes to project Maharashtra as the favoured investment destination with conducive atmosphere and ‘double engine’ government. Maharashtra has setup a special pavilion to meet a slew of global companies and roll out a red carpet. Samant has already said the government expects to attract an investment close to Rs 1 lakh crore.
