Bhokar (Nanded): When the Modi-wave was at its peak in 2014, Ashok Chavan, a former chief minister of Maharashtra, was was one of the only two leaders to have saved his bastion in his home town of Nanded, winning the Lok Sabha seat with a comfortable margin of 81,000 votes. By 2019, his charm seemed to have faded. The Congress leader tasted defeat for the first time, losing to the Bhartiya Janata Party’s Prataprao Chikhalikar by over 40,000 votes. He soon resigned as the state party chief and decided to focus on Nanded. Chavan is back in the fray now, contesting from the Bhokar constituency in Nanded, of which his wife Amita Chavan holds charge. Besides the two times when an independent and a Nationalist Congress Party legislator won from Bhokar, the constituency has stayed loyal to the Congress. Chavan, in a chat with The Wire, was frank about the Congress’s current form but held hope of the party’s prospects.The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.Just weeks before the two crucial states go to polls, senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid spoke of the deep crisis in the Congress. This is not the first time that a party leader has spoken about issues in the party. Jairam Ramesh and Shashi Tharoor too have talked of the lack of clarity in the party leadership. How do you look at this comment?You see, things differ from state to state, I won’t be able to comment on other states. But in Maharashtra, people are sincerely working in their respective constituencies and are working together. There might be issues in other states but it doesn’t seem to be the case here. Rahul Gandhi was in Latur for the election campaign. We have managed a healthy alliance with the NCP. So, overall, I think party members are trying every bit to stay together and fight this out.So you would say that the Congress in Maharashtra is in good shape?Well, I would not say it is in great shape but we are certainly doing fine. We have looked closely into issues that impacted our performance in the Lok Sabha elections and are trying to address them this election. Certainly, there are some internal problems, issues about seat distribution, and so on, but they are being tackled along with the other preparations for the election. Isn’t Mumbai Congress in crisis?We have lost a very good leader [with the passing of] Gurudas Kamat in Mumbai. And things did not settle after his demise. There are problems and it has been a concern. [Maharashtra chief minister Devendra] Fadnavis, during a rally in Thane district, made a cheeky comment that elections are no longer fun to fight in the state since the opposition isn’t doing enough and has already given up. What do you think about Fadnavis’ confidence and such a portrayal of the opposition?I think he should rather be focusing on the fights within his party than worry about whether the opposition is able to put up a good or a bad fight. You see, with the BJP’s ship overloaded with all the aayaram and gayaraams (a way of referring to the entries of Congress-NCP turncoats into the party), BJP is finding it difficult to handle things. All this has only led into utter chaos. The party did not give a ticket to Vinod Tawade, sidelined Khadse, several unhappy leaders from the party have decided to contest as independents, and the Sena has been constantly criticising BJP. These are not great signs. Even if Fadnavis wants to believe everything is fine with the party, and wants to paint a rosy picture, it is not as simple. Also read: Tickets Turn Sore Point in Saffron Alliance, Cong-NCP Struggle For CandidatesBut these aayaram and gayaarams are your own senior leaders. And you can’t deny that the party did face a major hit with them shifting sides.Well, I would rather look it this way: it is good that they left. We know where they stand and we also have the space now for newer faces to emerge. With all these old, senior people around, it was difficult to give chance to the newer leaders. Now we will be able to rebuild the party. ‘BJP is overloaded with aayarams and gayarams’. Photo: PTI.Congress had talked about reservation for the Maratha community in the state. But the BJP has made it possible. Do you think your party lost out on an opportunity and that the recent decision to provide the community with a sizeable reservation has managed to sway them towards the BJP-Sena? Marathas have mostly been loyal to the NCP and Congress until recently. See, the talks about reservation first began with the Congress. We set up a committee and worked on their demands. Unfortunately, there were a few legal hurdles. But today if the BJP and Sena wants to make it their achievement, it is fine. But it won’t change the truth. But do you think the government’s decision has changed the equation in the state?See, ultimately, it is the decision that matters. Has the reservation policy been implemented? You can claim and promise whatever you like but whether those decisions turn into a reality is what matters. The government had promised large-scale recruitment of Marathas in the government jobs. But it has not happened. Where are these jobs, one should ask? Non- delivery of promises is one of the issues of this government. They have made big promises and delivered nothing. Also read: Why the Bombay HC Judgment on Maratha Reservation Is Inherently FlawedLike the Lok Sabha elections, in the assembly too, the BJP-Sena rallies have been focusing on the rhetoric around nationalism, Kashmir, Article 370, and soldiers. Ground issues have almost been missing from the campaigns.What relevance does Article 370 have in Maharashtra? Let the Fadnavis government focus on issues plaguing the state. His strategy is to talk about (Article) 370, Chandrayaan, soldiers and dodge all those issues which are pertinent to the state. Let us try and bring the focus there and see how people respond to this government. The country’s economy is in doldrums. There is clear distress in rural Maharashtra. But when it comes to voting, we have seen voters have preferred the BJP over any other alternative. What do you think is the reason? Has Congress failed to connect with its voters?There is systematic work that has gone into this. Social media, electronic and print media are being used to create a certain picture of the ruling government and that is causing a deep impact on public perception. Why those under distress don’t vote against the BJP is something our party has to work on, but I can say that things are certainly changing and people are questioning the government for pushing them in the state they are in right now. If you compare the media coverage of, say, Congress and BJP, the major chunk of it is focused on the BJP and the myth they are trying to sell. It is really not a fair level playing field.You had been upset with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi when you lost the Lok Sabha election from Nanded.I still continue to be upset. They have only acted as a spoiler in the election. They ultimately helped the BJP to win in several seats.Also read: Maharashtra’s VBA, an Alliance of the Excluded, is Attempting a Social TransformationBut the VBA says it has given the state a third alternative which was not a possibility before.I don’t think so.Did the Congress try to have a conversation with the VBA again for the assembly election?Yes, we did. We were keen on working an alliance out with them. But we also expected them to have a reasonable demand but they were not willing and we went our own way. But I don’t consider them as such a big threat as they turned out to be in the Lok Sabha election. They won’t be able to cause much of a dent this time. Several senior party members are contesting elections, be it you or Prithviraj Chavan, and have been limited to their own constituencies. Do you think that affected the campaign somewhere?No. See, each of us were assigned a responsibility and we have kept our focus on that. I was given the responsibility of Marathwada and I have been working in every constituency here. Rahul Gandhi was here; we have been campaigning around the region. It is not that I have only limited myself to one constituency. What is the party estimate right now? How well do you think it will fair?I won’t be able to give a specific number. But I see a fair chance for the Congress and NCP to form the government.How do you see the Fadnavis government’s performance?Below average. Too many promises, none kept. (Narendra) Modi has to come to his rescue, but his own performance has been bad. I personally think he is a very good person but his government has not been able to deliver. The financial state of Maharashtra is precarious, we have more than Rs 5,000 crore in debts, every sector is bleeding. We have not been able to pay the farmers the loan waivers promised. Sops have been announced but it has not come through in the last five long years. Maharashtra Congress leader Ashok Chavan says Devendra Fadnavis is ‘below average’. Photo: PTIWith just the election [campaign] management, he is able to build a certain image. With both the state and centre in their hands, they have no dearth of resources and all of it is used in building this public image. You managed the 2014 election, even when it was being said that the Modi wave was on a high and most leaders lost because of that wave. But what went wrong in 2019?They put me on a radar. All their energy and resources were used to defeat me. Modi would end up in the district every now and then. I am surprised as to how he has not turned up yet (in this election) but it has been their strategy to keep me on their radar and work towards engineering my fall. Last assembly, you wife contested and won from Bhokar seat. After losing the Lok Sabha election, you have decided to contest from here. Doesn’t Ms. Amita Chavan have political aspirations? A common phenomenon across the country is that women are made to contest only as a proxy candidates. Would you say your case is the same?(Laughs) No, not at all. She managed this constituency very well and said she would like me to take it ahead from here on. She would like to focus on other issues and manage the constituency along with me. I think she has done her best. In fact, I owe my success partly to her hard work and support. You went separate ways last election but returned to NCP this time. What happened?They say necessity is the mother of all invention. We thought it would work for us to go and contest together, so here we are.Who is the big brother here?There is no big or small brother. We are surely contesting on more seats, but we are both on equal footing. As many as 140 candidates filed nominations against you this time. But there are only six left now. A similar thing happened in the general elections too. Why do you suppose this happens?I don’t know why that happened. I feel most of them want me to pay attention to their problems and want an audience with me. There is nothing more to this than that. And once I talk to them and understand their issues, they withdraw [their nominations].
