BJD, BRS and Akali Dal staying neutral in VP poll a jolt to BJP: Raut
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed the decision of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) and Shiromani Akali Dal to stay away from the vice presidential poll was a setback to the ruling BJP.
Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Raut asserted the Opposition INDIA bloc votes will remain intact in the poll and the fight will be eventful.
Voting was underway on Tuesday to elect a new vice president, for which the contest is between NDA nominee C P Radhakrishnan and joint Opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy.
The Naveen Patnaik-headed BJD and the KCR-led BRS have abstained from voting in the vice presidential election, while the Shiromani Akali Dal said it will boycott the poll in the wake of floods in Punjab.
"The BJD, Akali Dal and BRS have consistently sided with the BJP government. These parties are not ready to vote for the NDA (in the vice presidential poll)," Raut said.
The Rajya Sabha member claimed there was pressure on these parties to vote for the NDA candidate, but they did not succumb to it.
"These parties staying neutral is a jolt to the BJP," the Opposition Sena (UBT) leader added.
In the morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to exercise his franchise for the poll.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has a clear edge in the poll, necessitated due to the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), in an editorial in Saamana newspaper, also took a dig at the BJP over holding the vice-presidential poll in "pitrupaksha" (a time considered as inauspicious).
It said that since Radhakrishan is a veteran RSS worker and staunch Hindutvavadi, the timing is surprising.
Members of both Houses of Parliament are eligible to cast their votes in the Parliament House between 10 am and 5 pm. Counting votes will begin at 6 pm, and the results will be announced late evening.
Members of Parliament are not bound by party whips to vote in the vice presidential election, which takes place under a secret ballot system.
The electoral college for the vice presidential election comprises a total of 788 members - 245 from the Rajya Sabha and 543 from the Lok Sabha. The 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha are also eligible to vote in the election.
The present strength of the electoral college is 781 as six seats are vacant in the Rajya Sabha and one in the Lok Sabha. This puts the majority mark at 391. The NDA has 425 MPs, while the Opposition camp has the backing of 324.
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Mumbai-Pune Expressway ‘missing link’ to open on May 1; will improve travel safety: Shinde
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the long-awaited ‘missing link’ on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, aimed at bypassing the winding Bhor Ghat section and improving safety, will be inaugurated on May 1.
Shinde, who inspected the project site, said the new stretch will make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the hilly section.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to inaugurate the 13.3-km-long missing link, which connects Khopoli on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala, on Maharashtra Day, which is celebrated on May 1, he said.
The deputy CM said that 99 per cent of the project work has been completed. “I personally inspected the quality of work and found it satisfactory. The remaining minor works will be completed in the next few days,” Shinde said.
Shinde said the new alignment will bypass sharp curves and accident-prone stretches in the ghat section, helping reduce delays and improve commuter safety. He claimed accidents in the section would reduce substantially once the project becomes operational.
“The missing link project will make travel between Mumbai and Pune quicker, safer and more convenient, and will contribute significantly to the state’s development,” he said.
The Rs 6,700-crore project, developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), includes two tunnels, high viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley.
The missing link will reduce the travel distance between Mumbai and Pune by approximately 6 km and shorten the journey time by 20 to 30 minutes, said officials.
Initially, only light motor vehicles and buses will be permitted on the new stretch to reduce congestion on the existing ghat section, officials said, adding that heavy goods vehicles will be prohibited due to safety concerns.
“There will be no toll hike because of the missing link project. No increase has been proposed at the Khalapur toll plaza either,” Shinde said.
The project comprises two eight-lane tunnels of 1.75 km and 8.92 km in length and two viaducts measuring 850 metres and 650 metres, said officials. It has been designed to bypass the old Khandala ghat section, a winding route that has long slowed down traffic and posed safety risks, said officials.
The 650-metre viaduct will feature what officials described as India’s tallest road cable-stayed bridge, with pylons rising to 182 metres, taller than those on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
Officials claimed that the tunnels have a width of 23.75 metres and are among the widest road tunnels in the world. An MSRDC official said the tunnel is likely to be included in the Guinness Book of Records.
The route runs beneath the Lonavala lake area and was executed in difficult terrain marked by heavy rainfall and strong winds, officials said.
Shinde said projects such as the missing link would boost access to tourist destinations such as Lohagad Fort, Visapur Fort and Karla Caves.
MP Shrirang Barne, former corporator Abasaheb Bagul, MSRDC Managing Director Anilkumar Gaikwad and senior engineers from executing agencies were present during the inspection, officials said.
Krishnamurthy Subramanian, executive chairman of construction and engineering company Afcons International Private Limited, said the journey to completion of “India’s highest road cable-stayed bridge” was challenging.
“The bridge, located in the Sahyadri region, presented extreme challenges, including narrow ridges that left little room for heavy machinery, sudden wind speeds reaching up to 100 kmph, and dense fog reducing visibility to a few metres. Despite these conditions, we are proud to deliver this engineering marvel,” he said.
The expressway, spanning approximately 95 km, holds the distinction of being India's first access-controlled highway.
