Sukanya Shantha 
Nagpur: As the Mahavikas Aghadi’s (MVA) seat-sharing negotiations dragged on for two months, leaders within the MVA blamed Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole for his stubbornness and rigidity. Patole, however, describes this as his “strength” and “leadership skill”, asserting that his persistence was key to navigating the negotiations.
In a conversation with The Wire, Patole discusses a range of issues, predicting that both Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar will disappear from the Mahayuti after the Maharashtra assembly results are announced on November 23. He also claims that Devendra Fadnavis is likely to lose his constituency this election.
Sukanya Shantha: Do you see any difference between the Mahayuti during the parliamentary elections in April and May and the Mahayuti now, during the state assembly elections?
Nana Patole: There are many differences. Their manifestos didn’t align, and their guarantees didn’t align. In many places, they’ve fielded candidates against each other. Mark my words, after this election, both Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar will disappear from the Mahayuti.
Do you think they have improved their strategy in the past few months?
No, all they’ve focused on is gaining votes through corruption. We’ve been receiving ground reports that they’re flooding the state with money in hopes of securing votes. These corrupt parties are trying to take over the state with their ill-gotten wealth, but the people are aware that this money they are offering is their own money, which these parties have systematically stolen over the years. So, people are not going to fall for this trap.
To what extent do you think their newly launched schemes will work? On the ground, we hear a lot of talk about the Ladki Bahin scheme. How much of an impact do you think it will have? Even Sharad Pawar, in one of his interviews, acknowledged that the scheme will have some impact in certain constituencies.
I’m not trying to overstep Pawar saheb here, but my understanding is that they aren’t doing any favors for the citizens.
The scheme originally belongs to the Congress. We successfully implemented it in Karnataka and Telangana. But let’s focus on why the Mahayuti only remembered the “ladki bahins (dear sisters)” after performing so poorly in the general elections. The moment they launched the scheme, prices went up. With one hand, they’re giving Rs 1,500, and with the other, they’re taking Rs 5,000 from families. They’ve spent Rs 6000 crore just on advertising this scheme, and they think the Ladki Bahin scheme will save them. But Maharashtra’s voters are smart. Just look at the condition of the farmers — they’ve destroyed the farming and agrarian economy. They continue to ignore the issue of unemployment. Inflation has impacted every single individual in this state. This government will have to go.
Before the elections, Mahayuti seemed to be doing some course correction and focusing on schemes. But over the past week, their political rhetoric has reverted to the same “batenge, katenge” and “jihad” claims. Why do you think this shift happened?
They are making desperate attempts. They thought they could fool the people with this one scheme, but they know that people are not willing to trust them. So, they’ve returned to their usual communal speeches. If the prime minister of this country has to speak in this manner, it’s clear he has no confidence. This country has never had such a weak prime minister before. Their failure is inevitable.
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The MVA manifesto has a long list of promises, but can you share the specific concerns and issues of Vidarbha?
In Vidarbha, the most pressing issues are related to farmers, unemployment, and inflation. The government’s decision to slyly move industries to Gujarat has also directly impacted the people of this region. We’ve been raising these issues with the people, and we want them to make an informed choice.
During the seat-sharing discussions last month, the MVA took a long time to reach a consensus, and you were often blamed for problems within the three parties. The media too portrayed you as the villain causing trouble in the smooth discussion among parties. What do you have to say about these allegations?
See, even if the alliance parties considered me a villain, I emerged as a hero for my party. My negotiations were lauded within my party, and that’s what matters to me. I don’t care about the certificates given by others. Everyone in those meetings was fighting for their own party’s interests. I too was doing the same, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong in aggressively fighting for your party’s interests. As the head of the party, I’m supposed to do that.
Many rebel candidates have emerged in several constituencies, and it’s believed that these rebels could harm the MVA candidates. Is the MVA considering this a major concern?
There is no challenge from these rebels. Even the BJP has rebels in many constituencies. If anything, these rebels will help us consolidate our voters.
Vidarbha is seen as a power corridor in Maharashtra politics. Losing or winning here determines the fate of political parties for the next five years. You come from the Gondia district in Vidarbha, and in this region, state politics often mirrors national politics, with Congress and BJP fielding the most candidates against each other. Of the 62 seats in the region, around 40 are witnessing direct Congress-BJP duels. How do you see the fight this time?
The people of Vidarbha gave the BJP an opportunity twice. And just because of the people of this region, BJP has been able to rule the state for this long. (Devendra) Fadnavis had claimed that he wouldn’t marry until Vidarbha got separate statehood. He’s married now, with a grown-up daughter, but the people of Vidarbha have gotten nothing. There is no separate statehood or development in the region.
The voters are going to push him out of power this time. He is losing from his Nagpur South-West constituency. Our candidate Prafulla Gudhade Patil will surprise everyone.
How actively is the RSS involved this time?
The RSS surprises me. BJP president J.P. Nadda announces that BJP doesn’t need the RSS, yet here the RSS keeps running after the BJP. Is the RSS so desperate and helpless that it’s seeking validation from the BJP now?
Is this out of helplessness, or is this part of a well-thought-out plan?
The RSS is an NGO, and if the BJP stays in power, they make a lot of money. So, it’s in their interest to see BJP stay in power.
For the past five years, there’s been constant demand for reservation for the Maratha community. Several agitations have taken place across Maharashtra. But this demand has caused unrest among the OBC communities. As a leader from the OBC community, how valid do you think this concern is?
The government had planned to cause a divide between the OBC and Maratha communities, but they didn’t succeed. Now, their national leadership is stationed in Maharashtra, and they’re desperately traveling everywhere. If the OBC-Maratha divide had worked as per their plan, they wouldn’t need to campaign so desperately this time. Modiji would have addressed one rally and returned instead of doing multiple public events across the state.
Manoj Jarange Patil, who has been aggressively advocating for Maratha reservation, decided to withdraw from contesting the election. Why do you think that happened? On whose instructions is Jarange Patil acting?
He is fighting for his community. How can I say he is working on someone’s instructions? Even if he is, he’s been cheated. In 2014, Fadnavis promised that Marathas would get reservation benefits as soon as their party came to power. They’ve been in power twice since then, but the Maratha community has received nothing.
Your party is not against Maratha reservation, but on the ground, the anxiety is palpable. The OBC community is worried about including the Maratha community under the reservation umbrella. As a leader from the OBC community, what would you say to Congress voters?
Our leader Rahul Gandhi has consistently demanded a caste census. He has proposed a solution: let the government carry out a caste census. He has also demanded that the 50% cap on reservation be lifted. Once this is done, we will know for sure whether the Maratha community is eligible for reservation or not.
Data analysis and visualisation by Pavan Korada.