Malda district got its second Rajdhani Express on Sunday, with the Sairang–Anand Vihar train making its inaugural stop at Malda Town station.
The development immediately turned political, with BJP leaders projecting it as a “gift from Modiji (Prime Minister narendra Modi)” to the region.
The train from Mizoram reached Malda Town at 10.30am and departed 10 minutes later.
Khagen Murmu, the BJP MP from Malda North, and Gopal Saha, the BJP MLA from Malda, along with other party leaders, flagged off the train.
Railway officials said that the new service in Malda, which would be available on Sundays, would significantly cut travel time to the national capital.
“This train will reach Anand Vihar in New Delhi in only 21 hours, compared to the usual 31 hours (from Malda),” an official of the Malda division said.
The first Rajdhani stop at Malda came in January 2024, when the Agartala–Anand Vihar Tejas Rajdhani was allowed a halt at the station. The train plies through the station every Tuesdays.
Murmu said the new stoppage underscored the Modi government’s commitment to north Bengal.
“Be it Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat, Shatabdi, Tejas or Rajdhani, Malda now has access to all premium train services. Along with Malda, neighbouring North and South Dinajpur and Murshidabad districts will also benefit,” he said.
Englishbazar BJP MLA Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury, Habibpur MLA Joel Murmu and other leaders took to social media to broadcast the development, circulating the railway’s notification and highlighting the stoppage as a reflection of the Centre’s pro north Bengal policy.
A political observer, however, viewed the aggressive publicity through the lens of upcoming Bengal Assemly elections. The BJP won one of Malda’s two parliamentary seats in 2019 and 2024, and four of the district’s 12 Assembly seats in 2021.