Prithviraj Chavan: ‘Devendra Fadnavis all out to defeat me… I believe he has it tough in Nagpur seat’

The Indian Express caught up with Chavan during his campaign, wherever helium spoke astir his chances, the interior dynamics of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the Ladki Bahin Yojana, among different issues. Excerpts:

You are contesting your 3rd Assembly elections. How bash you spot your chances?

The radical are surely successful my favour similar they were successful the past 2 elections adjacent arsenic the BJP, particularly (Deputy Chief Minister) Devendra Fadnavis, is going each retired to guarantee my defeat. Even though helium has been targeting each elder Congress leaders, including me, I perceive that helium is successful a hard concern successful Nagpur.

The BJP, which is distributing immense amounts of wealth among the radical to bargain votes, has fielded the aforesaid campaigner who has mislaid the past 3 elections arsenic helium is seen to beryllium adjacent to Fadnavis and is simply a affluent person. This is not a mean predetermination similar before.

How bash you presumption the MVA’s chances? Do you deliberation it volition instrumentality to power?

We volition surely bash good arsenic 65% of the radical are with america portion they (Mahayuti) person the enactment of lone 35%. People person rejected the authorities authorities arsenic good arsenic the BJP-led Narendra Modi authorities astatine the Centre.

While the Mahayuti claimed it would triumph implicit 45 seats successful the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the MVA emerged victorious successful 31. Nothing has changed since. Inflation has remained high, unemployment continues to occupation the youths, farmers proceed to extremity lives and women’s information is inactive an issue. In specified a scenario, however bash they expect to clasp power?

Are you saying the Mahayuti stands nary chance?

Certainly, the figures talk for themselves. We won 31 Lok Sabha seats and mislaid a mates by constrictive margins. If we extrapolate the Lok Sabha results, the MVA is up successful 160 seats. Our confederation is steadfast and united.

But the antithetic voices of leaders of the 3 parties item interior rifts. The MVA does not look arsenic agreed arsenic it was during parliamentary polls. Is everything good betwixt MVA allies?

During seat-sharing, idiosyncratic candidates and parties fastener horns arsenic each enactment prioritises its candidates. One whitethorn accidental things bash not look similar they were during the Lok Sabha polls but it is simply a substance of perception. MVA leaders are warring unitedly. There are nary fights wrong the alliance, but for 1 oregon 2 cases.

How is the Congress placed crossed the state?

We volition bash good crossed Maharashtra. (In the Lok Sabha polls) We won respective seats successful Vidarbha and the MVA did good successful Marathwada too. The (Manoj) Jarange-Patil origin volition beryllium to beryllium captious successful the Assembly polls too.

Is Jarange-Patil backing the MVA?

He has been targeting the BJP and Fadnavis. He has besides accused the Deputy CM of denying preservation to Marathas, who showed their choler against the Mahayuti during the Lok Sabha elections. Though Jarange-Patil has taken a antithetic basal this time, helium has fixed the assemblage to take oregon cull anyone.

He wants to decision those candidates oregon parties which did not enactment the Maratha cause. Therefore, I deliberation the MVA volition payment from this successful immoderate districts of Marathwada.

Don’t you deliberation the Ladki Bahin Yojana volition plaything votes successful favour of the Mahayuti?

I bash not deliberation that the temper of the radical tin beryllium reversed successful six months. The anti-government presumption of the people, which was seen during the Lok Sabha elections, volition proceed successful the Assembly polls too. The Ladki Bahin Yojana volition conscionable marque a tiny difference, not an earth-shattering one.

Being a elder Congress person and a erstwhile CM, bash you deliberation Shiv Sena (UBT) main Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) main Sharad Pawar sermon canvass strategies and different issues with you?

Yes. They do, particularly successful matters regarding manifesto oregon withdrawing candidates. Each 1 is engaged with their ain enactment but whenever they find time, they bash call.

What has been the item of your tenure arsenic MLA?

If you cross-check, you volition find Malkapur, which falls successful my constituency, is the lone metropolis successful the full authorities which has a round-the-clock h2o supply. People present wage h2o charges done an automatic metre and get h2o adjacent connected the 5th floor. The h2o is lifted from the Koyna river, filtered and past stored successful a tank. The full country is present prosperous.

We person 93 villages successful the constituency and we program to screen each of them. When I was CM, I had the accidental to bring respective projects to the constituency but subsequently, efforts were made to stall them. However, I got them implemented done my idiosyncratic connections.

If the MVA wins bulk and the Congress emerges arsenic the largest party, volition you beryllium successful the CM contention arsenic the Sena (UBT) seems to beryllium astatine likelihood with the Maharashtra Congress chief, Nana Patole?

Our enactment does not enactment similar that. If we look arsenic the azygous largest party, a squad of observers volition travel from Delhi and instrumentality into relationship the views of the MLAs. A Congress Legislature Party (CLP) person volition beryllium elected, who volition beryllium the CM. Each idiosyncratic has his strengths and weaknesses. We request to find a young leader.

Will you instrumentality implicit the mantle if Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge oregon Sonia Gandhi asks you to?

Let america not number chickens earlier they hatch.

You are 78 years old. Any plans of retirement?

I americium contesting polls due to the fact that I privation to service people, who love. I americium blessed whether oregon not I get immoderate work successful the party.

So, this is not your past election?

If I had sat retired this election, the BJP would person encroached upon Karad taluka and Satara district. Regarding the question of the past election, fto america spot if determination volition beryllium elections successful the adjacent six months oregon a year. You cannot foretell thing astir the Modi government.