04 May,2024 07:25 AM IST | Kolhapur | Ranjeet Jadhav
Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj interacting with children. Pic/Anurag Ahire
At 10 am, crowds comprising men, women, and children gathered outside the palace of Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj, eagerly anticipating his presence. Supporters, addressing him as Maharaj-saheb, exuded confidence in his victory. Dressed in a white kurta-pajama, Shahu Chhatrapati strolled the expansive lawn, warmly greeting the gathering. Known for his affection for children, Maharaj engaged with the young ones. Amidst cheers, he graciously posed for photographs with his supporters, who assured him their votes for the Congress party this time.
As the battle for the Kolhapur Lok Sabha constituency begins, Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj - the descendent of Shivaji Maharaj - told us over a quick chat that he decided to contest the election as people from the constituency wanted him to contest.
You have never been in politics. What made you take the decision to contest?
It was the people's expectation that I should stand for the Kolhapur Lok Sabha constituency elections in order to look after the rights of the people and hence I took this decision.
How is the response to you campaigning around the constituency?
The response that I'm getting from my people is overwhelming.
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Maharashtra sees 66.05 per cent voter turnout, Kolhapur leads with 76.6 per cent
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Maharashtra sees 66 pc voter turnout, up from 61.1 pc in 2019; Kolhapur leads with 76.63 pc
What are the key issues in this constituency?
The need of the hour is to have better development in the Kolhapur Lok Sabha constituency, including better Infrastructure, good roads and so on.
If you get elected what would be your vision for your constituency?
I would focus on public infrastructure development which really needs to be looked into. I will work for the development of IT parks, solve issues related to farming and create more opportunities for farmers. If you look at the farmers' protests, they were thrown out of Delhi. The farmers have to pay very high taxes, GST and other taxes for their products and related activities. The farmers should get a good price for their products.
Issue of your lineage was raked up during campaigning by the sitting MP contesting against youâ¦
I would, at the most, say that he is a professor and should know the facts.
