In an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal, Bapusaheb Pathare, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate from Pune's Wadgaon Sheri Assembly seat, addressed several issues plaguing his constituency, including traffic congestion. Pathare, who was earlier with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and joined the NCP-SP just ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly polls, vowed to resolve the traffic issues if elected as an MLA.
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Below are the excerpts from the interview:
Q. How is the response of the voters to your campaign?
A. The people are enthusiastic. They are saying that this time they will vote for 'tutari' only. The sole reason behind this response is our party chief Sharad Pawar's charisma. In the recently-held Lok Sabha polls, we saw that out of the 10 seats where the NCP-SP contested, the party won eight. Hence, our victory is guaranteed, and it will be by a massive margin.
Q. You changed your party right before the elections. Do you think you will get full support from the NCP-SP?
A. I am an original worker of Sharad Pawar's party. When he used to get elected from the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, I worked for him. I ensured he got a lead in this area whenever he contested the elections. That's why I decided to go back to where I started. Some things may have happened in the past, and some things may have been said, but I don’t want to mention those at the moment. That said, I am confident the people of Wadgaon Sheri have decided to vote for me and my party this time, and I am sure of my win.
Q. It was speculated that your son Surendra might get the ticket to contest the polls. Was there any truth to this?
A. There is no truth to these rumours. The party decided to give me the ticket because of my 25-30 years of experience in the political and social spheres. I have been a sarpanch, a Zilla Parishad member, a corporator, a standing committee chairman and also an MLA. During this time, I have done a lot of work for the people and have stayed in constant touch with the public.
Q. Traffic congestion is one of the biggest issues in Wadgaon Sheri. How will you tackle it if you get elected?
A. We have planned a bridge from Warje to Theur. The expansion of Ahmednagar Road in Wagholi is pending. The development plan for this will have to be prepared. Apart from this, we will build parallel roads to Ahmednagar Road — Pune to Ahmednagar and Pune to Aurangabad. All of this will help in resolving the traffic congestion that happens during peak hours in the morning and evening.
Q. What are your other plans for Wadgaon Sheri if you get elected?
A. The Bhama Askhed project isn't complete yet. I will get it done, and this will help resolve the water supply issue for the residents of Lohegaon, Wagholi, Kharadi, and Yerawada. Other plans include improving the drainage system, ensuring 24x7 electricity supply, and building good roads.
Q. It's a contest between NCP and NCP-SP in Wadgaon Sheri. How do you think this election will turn out?
A. The people have told us that incumbent MLA Sunil Tingre hasn't done much work in the last 4.5 years. Minor works may have happened, but there hasn't been any major project worth mentioning. Tingre claims he has done development works worth ₹1,500 crore. I challenge him to show works worth only ₹150 crore, let alone ₹1,500 crore.
Q. Do you think there will be any impact from the Porsche crash case?
A. I don’t know much about that case. I wasn’t here at the time.
