Modi, Shah & central leadership will decide on BJP's alliance with JD(S) for LS polls: Yediyurappa
Bengaluru (PTI): Veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the party's central leadership will decide on party joining hands with JD(S) in Karnataka, for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Yediyurappa, who said he was going to Delhi to attend an election committee meeting of the party, said the political situation in the state would figure in the discussions at the meet.
"Delhi leaders, Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will decide on it. I don't have any special information on it so far," the BJP strongman told reporters in response to a question on the BJP-JD(S) alliance.
Asked whether he was travelling to Delhi tomorrow, the former chief minister said he was going there to attend the BJP election committee meeting (as central election committee member) and will meet all the leaders there. "Will try to discuss the political situation in the state and seek their suggestions."
Asked whether he will discuss about the alliance with JD(S) during the visit, he said, "I don't know, it is left to the PM and Amit Shah, let's see how the discussion goes...whatever decision the Delhi leadership takes, we will abide by it." Another former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said it is an expectation that both parties, that are in opposition, should come together.
"Next talks will happen at the Delhi level and after considering all the pros and cons, leaders of both parties will decide," he said.
Hitting out at the Congress for criticising the possible alliance between BJP and JD(S) by terming it as coming together of "helpless parties", Bommai said, "They have formed INDIA alliance, where opponents like Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress chief), CPI, Congress, Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi CM and AAP chief) have come together, are they all helpless?"
In India's political history there are instances where different types of understandings have happened to face various challenges, he said, adding, "to fight this evil government in Karnataka strongly, we are joining hands."
Yediyurappa, who is also a BJP parliamentary board member, last week said that his party will have an understanding with JD(S) for the Lok Sabha elections, and that the regional party will contest four LS seats in Karnataka, which has a total of 28 constituencies.
However, he subsequently said that discussions in this regard have not reached finality yet, and that Modi and Shah, who are busy with other responsibilities, may discuss and decide on the issue in a couple of days and decide.
On his part, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy said discussions on the BJP and his party contesting the Lok Sabha polls together are still in the initial phase.
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Mumbai Metro lines 9 and 2B open for commuters
Mumbai (PTI): Commercial operations on the first phases of Mumbai Metro corridors 9 and 2B began on Wednesday morning, a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the mass-transit routes, officials said.
While the Metro 9 marks the first direct connectivity between a suburb in Mumbai and a part of Thane city in the metropolitan region, the Line 2B will provide the first metro connectivity on the Harbour Line in Mumbai.
The 5.6-km elevated Phase 1 stretch of Metro Line 9 comprises four stations -- Dahisar East, Pandurangwadi, Miragaon and Kashigaon. The 5.53-km Phase 1 of Metro Line 2B has five stations, including Deshbhakt N G Acharya Udyan (Diamond Garden), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, Deonar, Mankhurd and Maharashtra Nagar–Mandale.
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According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Line 9 is expected to cut travel time between Mira-Bhayandar in Thane district and Mumbai to around 30 minutes from the current one to two hours. Built at Rs 6,607 crore, it will eventually provide seamless connectivity to south Mumbai through interlinking with other lines.
With the addition of the two new lines, Mumbai’s operational Metro network has expanded to six corridors, including Line 1 (Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova), Line 2A (Andheri West-Dahisar East), Line 7 (Dahisar East-Andheri East) and the underground Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra Kurla Complex-SEEPZ).
As per MMRDA, the revised timetable for Line 2A and Line 7 came into effect on Wednesday, aimed at improving frequency, predictability and overall commuter experience.
It said that with the inauguration of Line 9, Metro Line 2A will now operate as a standalone corridor between Andheri West and Dahisar East, with services from 5.50 am till around 11 pm and a peak frequency of about six minutes.
The integrated Line 7-9 corridor (Gundavali to Kashigaon), spanning 19.79 km, will operate from 5.50 am to 11 pm, with a peak frequency of under six minutes and 276 services on weekdays.
Metro Line 2B (Phase 1) services commenced at 6 am and will run till around 10.30 pm at intervals of approximately nine-and-a-half minutes, operating 209 services daily, according to officials.
MMRDA said the integration of Line 7 with Line 9 enables direct connectivity from Andheri East to Mira-Bhayandar, while Lines 2A and 7 will function as separate corridors.
A seamless interchange facility at Dahisar station will allow passengers to switch between Lines 2A and 7 without exiting the “paid” (ticketed) area.
