BJP MLA Chandrapal Singh Lodhi Injured After Fortuner Crashes On Ganga Expressway

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Chandrapal Singh Lodhi was injured after the Toyota Fortuner he was travelling in crashed on the Ganga Expressway in Bulandshahr district on Saturday. Another person travelling in the vehicle was also injured in the accident.

According to preliminary information, the accident occurred after one of the Fortuner's tyres burst while Lodhi was returning from Lucknow. The vehicle lost control, skidded across the expressway and eventually crashed into a roadside pole near Pota Kabulpur village in the Siyana area.

CCTV footage of the incident has emerged, showing the SUV suddenly losing control before veering off the carriageway. The vehicle continued to skid across an unpaved stretch of the road for more than 100 metres before hitting the pole and coming to a halt. Rainwater can be seen splashing around the vehicle as it skids.

Lodhi, who represents the Debai assembly constituency in Bulandshahr, was taken to a private hospital in Hapur along with the other injured person. Both are undergoing treatment, according to the report.

The accident took place amid heavy rainfall in parts of Uttar Pradesh, with several sections of the Ganga Expressway affected by waterlogging. According to report the Sonik toll plaza in Unnao was inundated after around 36 hours of intermittent rain.

Around 5-6 feet of water accumulated at some parts of the Sonik toll plaza, leaving toll cabins submerged. A trailer truck on the service road was also stranded after water entered its engine.

The agency responsible for the expressway deployed three generators, operated with the help of tractors, to pump out the accumulated water. A JCB was also brought in to create a pit near the service road to divert the water. However, the water level had not reduced significantly despite hours of efforts, the report said.

Commuters travelling from Unnao towards Prayagraj were reportedly waiting for the water level to fall before proceeding through the affected section. The waterlogging also raised concerns among motorists about vehicles getting stranded while entering or exiting the toll plaza.

The Ganga Expressway, which stretches for around 594 kilometres between Meerut and Prayagraj, has faced similar waterlogging at the Sonik toll plaza during earlier spells of heavy rain.

At the time of filing, there was no official statement from the police or the BJP regarding the accident.

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