Lok Sabha election: Will recent infra projects lead Mahayuti to victory in Maharashtra

The state government claimed that it has sanctioned projects worth ₹54,000 crore in the last few months. Shinde also accused the previous government of not sanctioning new projects during its tenure, a claim dismissed by the opposing Mahavikas Aghadi Alliance (MVA).

In 2020, the MVA government announced infrastructure projects worth ₹30,000 crore. In 2021, infra projects worth ₹77,000 crore were announced in the budget presented by the MVA. In 2022, over ₹23,000 crore were allotted for road projects alone. Then MVA government was toppled by Shinde and the BJP. In 2023, the present Mahayuti government allotted around ₹54,000 crore for infrastructure projects.

The opposition claimed that it was their government which prepared the blueprint and cleared the design for these projects, thus accusing the Shinde government of hogging all the credit.

Clyde Crasto, National Spokesperson, NCP-SP, told CNBC-TV18, "A project doesn't get completed overnight. Cutting ribbons doesn't mean those cutting ribbons did all the work. Our previous governments planned everything, prepared the design, etc. So we played a crucial role."

On one hand, these political parties want credit, but no one is taking responsibility for controversies surrounding these projects, cost overrun being one of them. For instance, Coastal Road's construction began in 2018 and an RTI revealed how the delayed construction led to a cost escalation of over ₹200 crore. Similarly, Mumbai-Nagpur highway's initial estimated cost was ₹46,000 crore, which escalated to ₹55,000 crore. The project's inauguration was also delayed by two years because of COVID-19.

Experts believe that the impact of these projects on voting patterns will not be huge and will be limited to urban voters. Experts said that even for urban voters, these infrastructure projects will not be the key or the sole deciding factor

Hemant Desai, a political analyst, told CNBC-TV18, "These projects will have an impact in only urban areas like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur etc. And along with infrastructure projects, there will be other factors in play which are likely to play a bigger role on the voting day." Sanjay Jog, another political analyst said, "These projects are very important, but they will impact voting choices in only some pockets in urban areas. That too, to what extent they will impact the voters' decision, that remains to be seen."

BJP and its allies think that these projects will give their alliance an upper hand. Multiple inaugurations weeks before the General Election show the importance the NDA is placing on these projects. The coming weeks will prove how voters will react to these projects and the strategy.