Lok Sabha elections 2024: 'PM showed faith in me when Congress didn’t'

Facing both a rival candidate who was once an ally as well as the threat of antiincumbency Dr Sujay Vikhe Patil the BJP candidate for the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat and son of veteran Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil finds himself against the odds in his endeavour to retain the seatHis opponent Nilesh Lanke the former NCP Ajit Pawar faction MLA from Parner announced his resignation last month as his differences with state minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil had intensified Lanke is being fielded by the NCP SP Sujay VikhePatil 42 a neurosurgeon by training asserts that the people of his constituency including farmers are aware of the accomplishments of the current government on the ground Therefore he believes that the efforts of the Congress to cultivate negative perceptions against the government will not succeedIn an interview with midday the BJP leader opened up discussing his vision for the constituency He said that whenever he feels stressed or simply needs a good laugh he ldquorecalls the antics of the CongressrdquoSujay Vikhe Patil PicNimesh DaveYou represent the Ahmednagar constituency which is known for agriculture Farmers are not happy with the Union government over crop pricesCongress tries to build the perception that the government is against farmers But we have removed these misconceptions Onions commanded a good price in April Farmers have got a milk subsidy Farmers are aware of what the Modi government has done for their betterment They have seen development Farmers are with us Congress just tries to build a negative perceptionMaratha reservation is a burning issue An antiBJP atmosphere has been created in rural areas due to thisIn Marathwada Marathas demanded reservation in the OBC category But in my district most Marathas have Kunbi certificates so they are already in the OBC category Here Maratha reservation is not a huge issue like in Marathwada Also the government gave 10 per cent reservation to MarathasYour main opponent Nilesh Lanke is known for his work during the pandemic Will it harm youCOVID19 was an international calamity and everyone did work during that time The sarpanches of villages also work In the COVID centre started by Lanke around 15000 to 18000 people were treated But the population of the district is around 30 lakh We too did work during the pandemic but we never publicised it It is inappropriate to use work done during the pandemic to get votes He should tell people what he did as an MLA He was in power for more than four years He should tell us what he did during this period Speeches made during the Assembly elections are now being delivered while campaigning for the Lok Sabha election He has done nothingYou left the Congress in 2019 and contested the Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket Do you miss your former partyI was willing to contest the election as a Congress candidate Its ally the NCP used to contest elections from Ahmednagar I was ready to contest the election as an NCP candidate But revenge politics took place I did not get the opportunity to contest The Prime Minister Narendra Modiled BJP showed faith in me They give me opportunities Yes of course I miss the Congress party Whenever Irsquom stressed and need a good laugh I think about CongressCan you tell us how the BJP is different from the CongressThere is a huge difference BJP is a cadrebased party that has its own vote bank The BJP cadre is committed to the party and works for it This brings results Congress doesnrsquot have a vote bank When its leaders shift to another party the votes shift with the leader We have witnessed this during the last Assembly election Congress is a personcentred organisation On the contrary the BJP is an organisation that believes in the partyWhat have you done for your constituency What is your agenda for the next five yearsThe flyover in Ahilya Nagar Ahmednagar city had been stalled for 10 years It was completed in 18 months during my tenure Bypasses at Ahilya Nagar city Karmala and Pandharpur were completed in 18 months After 30 years three new industrial zones have come up in the district I will try to bring new industries to the constituency to generate employment and increase irrigation for agricultureYou have slammed your opponent for not being able to speak in EnglishhellipMy education helps me understand government schemes which are mostly in English Because of this I can introduce various schemes in my constituency My learning helps me to do better work as a member of Parliament704 lakhNo of votes polled by Sujay Vikhe Patil in 2019