India
oi-Madhuri Adnal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming programme in Vadodara has already drawn a huge crowd even before the event begins. All the available seats were booked within an hour of registrations opening on BookMyShow, while more than 42,000 people were subsequently placed on the waiting list.
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi shared the update on X, highlighting the overwhelming response to the programme.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vadodara programme will inaugurate three Western Dedicated Freight Corridor sections costing over Rs 20,700 crore, alongside other railway and highway projects. Event registrations via BookMyShow were completed within an hour, placing over 42,000 people on a waiting list.
The event is also notable for the way entry is being managed. The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has used BookMyShow, a private digital platform, for free public registrations. The same system will be used to issue digital tickets and manage entry at the venue.
The VMC opened free registrations for people wanting to attend PM Modi’s programme in Vadodara. The response was almost immediate, with all available seats taken within an hour.
Once the seating capacity was reached, registrations were closed. More than 42,000 people who had registered after the seats were filled were moved to a waiting list.
The use of a private digital platform for registration and entry at a public programme of this scale has been described by the government as a first-of-its-kind initiative.
Digital M-Tickets to be used for entry
People whose registrations are confirmed will receive a digital M-Ticket through their BookMyShow accounts.
The ticket will carry a live QR code, which will be scanned at the venue before entry. The system is intended to bring registration, verification, entry and seating management onto a single platform.
With a large number of people expected at the programme, the digital system is aimed at reducing confusion at the entry points and helping authorities keep track of the crowd inside the venue.
Modi will visit Vadodara on Tuesday, where he is scheduled to inaugurate and dedicate several development projects and lay the foundation stones for a number of new works.
A major part of the programme will be the commissioning of three sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC).
The three sections – Sanand (North)-Makarpura, New Umbergaon-New Saphale and New Saphale-JNPT – together cover 326 route kilometres. The projects have been developed at a cost of more than Rs 20,700 crore.
The new sections will provide direct connectivity to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), helping improve the movement of export-import cargo between industrial centres and the port.
The Prime Minister will also flag off freight train services from New Sanand (North), New Makarpura, New Umbergaon and New JNPT in Mumbai.
The services are expected to strengthen freight movement along the corridor and improve connectivity between industrial hubs and ports.
A new passenger train service between Vadodara and Tanda Road will also be flagged off during the programme. The service is expected to make travel easier for people across Vadodara, Chhota Udepur and Alirajpur districts.
Three more railway projects will be taken up during Modi’s visit, with their foundation stones scheduled to be laid.
Together, the projects cover 329 kilometres and have an estimated cost of more than Rs 9,700 crore.
They include the third and fourth railway lines between Vadodara and Ratlam, the Miyagam Karjan-Choranda-Malsar gauge conversion project and the Vishwamitri-Dabhoi railway doubling project.
The projects are aimed at expanding railway capacity and improving connectivity across Gujarat.
Three National Highway projects, costing around Rs 1,780 crore in total, will also be part of the programme.
Several projects being undertaken by the Gujarat government will also be included. These works have a combined estimated value of around Rs 2,600 crore.
With the seats filling up within an hour and more than 42,000 people already on the waiting list, the response has given an indication of the scale of the crowd expected in Vadodara for Modi’s visit.
