Vande Bharat express route from Delhi to Amritsar is likely to start from December 31. Much to the dismay of Jalandhar citizens, Jalandhar is not included as a halt in its route as of yet. It also is not included in the Delhi-Katra route as well although it has a stop in Ludhiana. The Delhi-Amritsar routes also reportedly has stops in Ludhiana, Ambala and Sehnewal, but curiously, not in Jalandhar. One reasoning for this is the close proximity of Ludhiana to Jalandhar. The VB express aims for minimal stops between its destination due to time constraints and therefore the close proximity of Ludhiana and Jalandhar meant that only one could be included. But why was Ludhiana included and not Jalandhar? Lets delve into the possible reasons why Jalandhar could once again be ignored in the Vande Bharat route:
As mentioned above, Jalandhar and Ludhiana are relatively close to each other on the route. Although stoppages in both the cities have been requested, only one was included on the route in order to minimize the time between VB’s destinations. But inclusion of Ludhiana but not Jalandhar is an interesting decision to say the least. It is possible that Ludhiana’s inclusion may be influenced by political factors.
In the recent Jalandhar By-elections, the BJP was fourth in popularity among the Jalandhar voters. Therefore they would not prioritize Jalandhar as a favorable constituency in the upcoming general elections. Hence the decision would likely earn the favor of the Ludhiana voters, hence its inclusion.
Jalandhar MP Sushil Kumar Rinku has been making active efforts for Jalandhar’s inclusion in the Vande Bharat route. The rest of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from Jalandhar have not been making any visible efforts. There are 4 major MPs that are associated with Jalandhar whose collective influence may result in Jalandhar’s inclusion, but it currently remains to be seen.
The route is expected to be finalised over the next couple of days. The VB express is likely to start operations from December 30-31. Jalandhar's inclusion in the route may yet be possible but it has not yet been confirmed