Maharashtra elections: Challenger to Devendra Fadnavis’ seat calls chief minister an absentee MLA

NAGPUR: The biggest poll battle in the state elections on October 21 will be witnessed in Nagpur South-West that has earned the tag of chief minister’s constituency.
CM Devendra Fadnavis (49) is seeking fifth consecutive term as legislator from the city and a hat-trick from South-West seat. So confident he and his party are of the victory here that Fadnavis has left it to party men to manage his campaign.He has barely attended two public meetings here since he is busy touring across the state.
Pitted against Fadnavis is a youthful Congress leader Ashish Deshmukh (45) who till two years ago was with the ruling BJP.
It’s virtually a straight fight between Fadnavis and Deshmukh as candidates of smaller parties like BSP, and an independent Prashant Pawar, are too insignificant and likely to fall by the wayside. Fadnavis won last time by a margin of 59,000 votes defeating a more rooted Congress candidate Praful Gudadhe-Patil.
This time no one from the Congress was willing to contest against Fadnavis knowing well what the outcome would be. Deshmukh, desperate to make a comeback in the Congress after re-joining it in 2017, was at the last moment offered the tough task and he boldly accepted the challenge.
Fadnavis has never lost any election till date, right from the civic body (NMC) of which he got to be one of the youngest mayors. He entered the assembly by winning from Nagpur West in 1999 and again won the seat in 2009.
He also from the newly created South-West constituency in 2009 and 2014. His image as a clean, sincere politician keen on grasping any situation with intellect has enabled him to rise so fast in public life.
Fadnavis has already created a record becoming the second Maharashtra chief minister to complete a full-term. His term saw a big push being given to development projects not only in the city but in entire Vidarbha that was neglected for decades during the Congress rule.
Since Fadnavis is campaigning for party candidates across the state, his campaign here is being handled by Sandip Joshi, ruling party leader in the NMC. Party MLC Anil Sole, mayor Nanda Jichkar and the whole party is engaged in the campaign.
“We have set a target of victory margin of 1 lakh votes for Fadnavis. There is tremendous enthusiasm among voters who are proud that their vote would go on to make Fadnavis chief minister for the second term,” said Joshi.
Asked if Fadnavis’ not getting time to canvass for himself was a setback, Joshi and Jichkar point out the tremendous response to the “I am Devendra too” theme of the campaign. “It will be vote for development that the city witnessed in last five years by way of road works and Metro project. Mihan has taken off only in the last five years creating 17,000 jobs. Before that it was languishing for a decade,” Joshi said.
Deshmukh said he is in the ring to create history. “I will surprise all with a giant-killer win. Fadnavis will be defeated as voters do not like their representative staying so far away from them. He has locked up his house here and stays in Mumbai where he is inaccessible to common man. Every section of society is angry with BJP. Traders, businessmen reeling under slowdown, students supporting ‘Save Merit Save Nation’ agitation, residents tired of unending road and Metro work, the unemployed waiting for opportunities are all going to vote against the BJP,” he said.
His campaign paints Fadnavis as failure on all fronts mainly providing employment to youths. They have to look for jobs in Pune, Mumbai and Bengaluru leaving old, ailing parents behind. “Mihan has failed to provide promised jobs,” said Deshmukh.
Deshmukh claims to have a better and more studied vision of development and if elected would concentrate on improving ease of living for people. “Education and health are two issues that BJP government has not bothered to address. I will work to improve government schools and introduce mohalla clinics like in Delhi. I will create situation that would bring prosperity to every household,” he said.