With the crucial Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections set for January 15, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strategically positioned the long-standing demand for Metro City status at the very heart of its campaign. This civic aspiration, which was notably highlighted earlier by the Times of India's 'Metro Tag for Nagpur' campaign, has now been formally adopted as a key promise in the party's election manifesto.
From Public Demand to Political Pledge
BJP leaders assert that the issue has successfully transitioned from a persistent public demand into a central political agenda. They are projecting the attainment of Metro status as a defining milestone that will catalyze the next phase of Nagpur's urban evolution. The party's manifesto, they revealed, was crafted after assimilating suggestions from a staggering nearly 87,000 citizens, reflecting a broad-based consensus on the city's future direction.
City BJP president Dayashankar Tiwari underscored that the push for Metro status regained significant political momentum following the TOI campaign. He emphasized that this initiative would be central to the BJP's governance narrative, allowing the party to leverage its "triple engine" setup—control over the municipal body, the state government, and the central government—to ensure faster and more effective development.
The Transformative Potential of Metro Designation
The BJP describes the proposed Metro City designation as transformative. The party argues that this elevated status would unlock access to enhanced funding from both the central and state governments. This financial boost is seen as critical for accelerating large-scale infrastructure projects, attracting new investments, and fundamentally strengthening Nagpur's administrative and economic profile on the national stage.
BJP leaders pointed to Nagpur's expanding urban footprint and growing agglomeration as key factors that make it a strong contender for the coveted 'X' category—the official designation for a Metro City. This status is granted when a city's population, calculated under the 'Urban Agglomeration' (UA) clause, crosses the 50 lakh (5 million) mark. The UA count includes not just residents within the official city limits but also those in connected urban and semi-urban areas.
Census Holds the Key to Nagpur's Future
There is renewed hope as India prepares for a national census later this year, after a gap of almost 15 years. Many believe this count will finally confirm that Nagpur's population under the UA clause has breached the critical 50 lakh threshold, thereby strengthening its case for the Metro tag.
BJP MLC Parinay Fuke, who had written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during the monsoon session of the state legislature about the issue, stated that the manifesto mention solidifies the party's commitment. "Nagpur has grown into a big city and it is high time that we get an official recognition for it. The state government will keep on following up with the central government over this issue," Fuke said.
Echoing this sentiment, BJP leader Deaven Dasture, who played a pivotal role in educating his party about the UA criteria and advocating for its inclusion in the manifesto, expressed optimism. "We are the second capital of Maharashtra, the CM is from Nagpur, one of the most popular Union ministers is from Nagpur. There is no reason for Nagpur to now remain confined in government records as a tier-2 city," Dasture asserted, hopeful that Nagpur will finally get its due recognition.
