BJP’s Udayanraje Bhosale says his focus is on skill development, industries and IT parks
BJP candidate Udayanraje Bhosale on the grounds of his residence, Jalmandir Palace. Pic/Anurag Ahire
AS we wait for BJP candidate Udayanraje Bhosale at his abode, Jalmandir Palace, hordes of supporters of the direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj gather to greet him outside.
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The political temperature is soaring in the Satara Lok Sabha constituency where Bhosale is taking on NCP (SP) candidate Shashikant Shinde. The supporters of the Mahayuti candidate, whom they reverently call Maharaj, feel that Shinde will be defeated by a heavy margin.
In a brief interview with mid-day, Bhosale opened up about his campaign and how he plans to overcome challenges. Excerpts:
How has your campaign been received?
The response is overwhelming, extraordinary! The response is so humongous, it clearly shows that the people are my side.
What is your take on the sitting MP?
During his tenure, he did not do any work and the people are quite upset as a lot of work is pending.
Your opponent’s campaign slogan is ‘Maan gaadi la, maat tutari la [Respect the throne, vote for the trumpet—the symbol of the NCP(SP)]’. Do l you think this will have an impact?
What he says and what he does is none of my concern. Respect for the throne will always be there, not because of me but because of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. I live in a democratic setup, which I have accepted. So, just like my opponent, I am a normal citizen. Maybe in my previous life, I must have done good deeds because of which I was I was lucky to be born into this royal family.
NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar has been holding a series of rallies across western Maharashtra, including in your constituency. What do you think will be the impact of these rallies?
His visits are not going to change the situation in my constituency because the people are with me. If he wanted to hold so many rallies in my constituency, he should’ve stood against me in place of his party’s existing candidate.
Will the Maratha and Dhangar reservation issue have an impact?
This issue was first raked up by some people long ago. At the time, we were in school. Being a generation ahead, these are the people who are responsible for raking up all these reservation issues. In March 1994, after a mere notification [government resolution increasing the percentage of reservation from 14 per cent to 30 per cent in the OBC, Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes categories], these people created such chaos.
What are the key issues in your constituency and what is your vision?
Once elected, my focus would be to bring in a lot of skill development, industries and IT parks. I have already spoken to people who are interested in bringing in opportunities about this. The Krishna river flows through my constituency and I have plans to solve the issue of water scarcity and introduce irrigation-related schemes for farmers.
Do you think there is a sympathy wave among the voters for Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray?
For all these years, when they were in power, they did nothing for the people and the people are fed up with them. Slogans such as ‘Garibi hatao, desh bachao’ and ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ were coined by them [Congress] but were implemented in reality by the BJP and its allies. Now, these leaders are saying that they will get sympathy from the people but it won’t happen because they never work for the people. Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar were discarded by their own party members because they were negative and not interested in doing any constructive projects. I don’t think there is any sympathy for both of them.
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