On Vande Bharat, Haridwar AC Express: Mandir signals green, jobs hit red

From Dehradun to Delhi, Haridwar to Mumbai, Ajinkya Kawale gets inside track on voter sentiment on board the Vande Bharat and Haridwar AC Express

At the Dehradun railway station, passengers queue up for selfies with the sleek, eight-coach Vande Bharat Express, poised to cover the 300-kilometre (km) journey to Delhi in roughly five hours. However, Jitendra Meena (name changed), a railway employee from Rajasthan, remains unmoved by the excitement surrounding him.

“In this election year, we see politics revolving around caste and religious divides, while employment remains a pressing issue. I hold no expectations from any government,” he laments.

Meena, in his 30s and responsible for a family of four, highlights that most of his peers remain unemployed despite migrating from their villages in