NCP (SP) Pune City Chief, Prashant Jagtap, is contesting the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly polls from the Hadapsar seat. He will face off against incumbent MLA Chetan Tupe of the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP. In an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal, Jagtap emphasised that his nomination was a testament to his loyalty to party chief Sharad Pawar. He also highlighted the pressing issues of Hadapsar, including water crisis and traffic congestion, and outlined his plans to address them when elected to power.
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'I've been with the party during its difficult phase'
Jagtap thanked his party chief Sharad Pawar, working president Supriya Sule, state chief Jayant Patil, MP Amol Kolhe, and the entire NCP (SP) team for his nomination. He also expressed gratitude to the alliance partners - Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) - for giving a green signal to his name to contest the upcoming Assembly polls from Hadapsar. "I believe this is a reward for my loyalty. I have been with the party during its difficult phase. Besides, as NCP (SP) Pune City Chief, I have participated in most protests on issues concerning the city, the state and the country. I have been someone who wasn't scared of the ruling government or of going to jail, and that is why my name was considered." Jagtap told party workers that his candidacy was merely symbolic. "It is a message to all other workers that if someone like me can get a nomination, so can you," he added.
'The fight is between loyalty and treachery'
The fight in Hadapsar will predominantly be between NCP vs NCP (SP). However, Jagtap likes to call it a contest between loyalty and treachery. "This fight isn't NCP versus NCP (SP); it's about loyalty and treachery. In our Indian culture, we don't leave our parents when they get old. I stuck to this culture and remained with Pawar Saheb, who was 83 years of age when the party split. On the other hand, Tupe chose power. The people of Hadapsar will back me as I chose to remain loyal and kept self-respect till the end," he said.
'Everyone has the right to contest the election'
Considering that the Hadapsar Assembly seat has a sizeable Muslim population, the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) has announced Afroz Mulla as its candidate here, while Maharashtra Muslim Conference (MMC) National Convener Zubair Memon has also announced his candidacy. Speaking about this challenge, Jagtap said, "All political parties and candidates of all religions and castes have a right to contest elections. This is a right given to us by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in the Constitution. But the people of Hadapsar should understand why a certain candidate is standing for the election, whether this is just to help the ruling Mahayuti. It is important to note what work these candidates have done for this constituency."
'Hadapsar's issues are aplenty'
Jagtap slammed Tupe for the civic issues in Hadapsar. Along with traffic congestion, the water crisis is one of the most pressing concerns here as people rely on water tankers throughout the year. "The current Hadapsar MLA has had the corporator post in his house for the last 30-35 years. Still, Hadapsar is facing so many issues. Let alone the entire constituency, there is a water crisis in the area where the MLA stays. When I come to power, I will ensure that these issues will be solved by coordinating with the state government and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)," he said.
'NCP (SP) will bag 77-79 seats'
Out of the nearly 90-95 seats that the NCP (SP) is contesting, Jagtap said his party will surely win around 77-79 of them. On the remaining seats too, he said they stand a good chance. "There is Sharad Pawar's wave across the state. Maharashtra's political culture has been destroyed by Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Devendra Fadnavis. The wrong message of buying MLAs and MPs of Maharashtra has been spread across the country. The people haven't liked this; they haven't liked that the state has become infamous for this. As MVA, we will win 200+ seats, and we will be back in power."
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