I will fight polls, be CM again: Prithviraj Chavan

A day after NCP leader Ajit Pawar said he wants to be the chief minister, Prithviraj Chavan (68), a BIT alumnus brought in to helm the state after the Adarsh scandal, made it clear that he would be CM again if the Congress-NCP alliance came to power. Excerpts from an interview:

What's the status of the Congress-NCP alliance?

Talks are in progress. NCP president Sharad Pawar and I are keen and serious on alliance. I am sure a respectable formula will be worked out in a day or two.

But NCP has demanded 144 seats...

We have rejected that proposal. There can be small changes in the seat-sharing formula as well as exchange of seats, but the demand for 144 seats is not acceptable.

What will be the outcome of the assembly elections?

We worked hard. In the last four years, we made all efforts to provide a result-oriented administration. I feel it should not be difficult for the Congress-NCP to cross the magic figure of 145.

If there is no agreement...

We have no option but to contest independently. It's not a threat, but we are prepared. I feel we will not reach that situation, since an agreement will be reached in a day or two.

In that event, will you be the CM again?

Since the elections are being contested under my leadership, if we are able to secure a clear majority I certainly will be CM again.

Will you contest?
I am keen to contest from my hometown Karad. If the Congress high command decides to nominate me, we will have to rehabilitate sitting legislator Vilaskaka Patil Undalkar. I am sure he will agree.

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has said Vilasrao Deshmukh was a better chief minister...
I have read his interview in TOI. Without a doubt, Vilasrao Deshmukh was one of the great leaders of Maharashtra. I have great respect for him.

For over three years, you were slow on clearing proposals of developers and builders. In the last six months, you quickly approved several...
Initially, I did not take decisions as my intention was to break the builder-politician nexus. There was no level playing field, only a few were favoured. To a great extent, I succeeded. Then my government formulated a comprehensive policy on development control rules and grant of FSI. Once the new policy was in place, 12 proposals were approved. In the entire process, BMC has benefited by nearly Rs 3,000 crore.

Ajit Pawar has blamed you for the row over toll...
It will be wrong to blame me. In the first place, it must be reviewed if a toll plaza was needed near Kharghar. My information is that it was not in accordance with the norms as there cannot be two toll plazas within a distance of 12 km. Secondly, it comes under PWD and so far as question of payment is concerned, it was the responsibility of the finance department. Both departments are held by NCP, as such the leadership should have taken note of the row over the toll plaza. In my opinion, we need more transparency on toll.

Is there a possibility of rebels entering the fray?
Such a possibility cannot be ruled out if there is no respectable alliance between Congress and NCP. I know Sharad Pawar is more serious on the honourable alliance.

Is there a Modi wave?
In my opinion, even during the Lok Sabha polls, there was no Modi wave. But there was discontent against the UPA-II government. In the 100 days of the Narendra Modi government, people are disillusioned. I don't think people will vote for BJP or Shiv Sena.

BJP president Amit Shah has threatened to send some of the erring cabinet members to jail for involvement in scams...
Amit Shah is entitled to his statements. But he should have studied the ground reality in home state Gujarat. In Maharashtra, we have rule of law; if any person is proved guilty of involvement in scams, law will take its own course.

What's your experience of coalition government?
In my opinion, the progress of the state, particularly economic growth, was slow owing to the coalition government. We have no option, but I feel we need a single-party government to provide result-oriented administration.

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