Maharashtra Assembly election: Congress candidate pitted against Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis confident of winning from Nagpur

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Congress candidate Prafulla Gudadhe Patil on Monday, October 28, said the high-profile Nagpur South West seat will throw up an upset in the Maharashtra Assembly election as his opponent and Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis has lost his "ground connect".

Fadnavis, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) tallest leader in the state and CM between 2014 and 2019, had trounced Patil in the last Maharashtra Assembly election held five years ago.

However, this time, Patil exuded confidence that he would emerge winner when results are declared on November 23, news agency PTI reported.

"People will defeat Fadnavis this time. He has completely lost his ground connect and is now an outsider in the constituency. He has not fulfilled the aspirations and hopes of the voters," said Patil, a five-time corporator from Nagpur.

Speaking to PTI, Patil, who is considered a grassroots leader by his party colleagues, said this is not a "losing battle" as most are portraying it to be owing to the "aura and profile" of his BJP opponent.

"Voters are the most powerful in a democracy and not someone who has been chief minister or is deputy chief minister. Even prime ministers have lost polls in the past. That is the history of our democracy. This is not just an election but a fight against an ideology that is trying to finish off the Constitution and the country's democracy," he said, adding that Fadnavis may have won five times on a trot but people's hope for speedy development has been dashed since the time his opponent came to power.

While people have been distressed owing to inflation and lack of jobs, Fadnavis has concentrated on staying in power and has spent no time in meeting voters or trying to find out what they want, Patil alleged.

"He is now for all purposes a Mumbaikar as he is always in the metropolis. The November 20 poll is between 'dhanshakti (money power)' and 'janshakti (people's power)'. People are fighting for me. For the past 10 years, I have met people and listened to what they have to say. I am certain I will win," the Congress candidate said.

Patil said the Congress' Maha Vikas Aghadi allies: Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) are putting in all efforts to help him, and even groups like the Communist Party of India and Shetkari Kamgar Paksh are part of the fight.

"Fadnavis was known as "Mr Clean" and a very intelligent legislator and administrator but he is now famous for splitting parties to remain in power, said Patil, adding that he will be filing his nomination papers on Tuesday.

(With PTI inputs)