Milind Deora: My focus is the young and educated voter

MP Milind Deora (32) speaks on his strategy to tap mobile and Internet users, and even online networking sites for his Lok Sabha campaign

MP Milind Deora (32) speaks on his strategy to tap mobile and Internet users, and even online networking sites for his Lok Sabha campaign

Milind Deora (32), the youngest sitting MP from South Mumbai, says his homework was done, and his plans were in place much before the Election Commission announced Lok Sabha poll dates on Monday. His constituency includes areas like Malabar Hill and Bhendi Bazar that have loyal Congress voters.

However, this time, its borders have been redrawn to include areas like Parel and Lalbaug that are dominated by the worker class loyal to the Shiv Sena and the BJP. Deora won with a 10,000-odd margin in the last elections, and he assures Ranjitt Khomne that he will bag the seat again.

MiD DAY: Why should people vote for you?
Milind Deora: I am not just a Congress MP; I am a people's MP. People know that I will speak against our own government in the state when the need arises. I raised my voice to save the Crawford market heritage structure. I also pressured the state government to speed up the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Sewri-Nhava Sheva Trans-Harbour project. I was also the only MP at the site of the 26/11 attacks.

Who is your target voter?
My focus is the young and the educated voter. Estimates suggest that at least 45 to 50 per cent of those in the voters' list are aged between 18 and 30 years, and first time voters are likely to constitute 20 to 30 per cent of the total voters in my constituency. Management students, young professionals, bankers and lawyers have been writing to me. They want to be a part of my campaign. I am working on ways to involve them constructively.

Will you use the Internet for your campaign?
I would rather merge several 'Friends of Milind Deora' groups on the social networking sites rather than use Facebook. We are in talks with a few poll experts in the US to use the services of the upwardly mobile young professionalsu00a0 who want to be part of my campaign.

What is your stand on the locals-first issue?
My mother is Maharashtrian. My father is Rajasthani. It does not matter where you are from as long as you work for the betterment for this city. The Maharashtrians know that Sena leaders who spread violence on the locals-first issue chose to become big builders on the mill land areas. I was alone in speaking about issues relating to the development of mill land in the area in Parliament.

'What I did for Mumbai'
>> Introduced a cluster policy to redevelop old buildings and offer affected persons a 300 sq ft flat instead of the usual 225 sq ft that is offered
>> Got Rs 100 crore from the Centre for modernisation of JJ Hospital on the lines of AIIMS
>> Got an additional Rs 30 crore for the Cama and the GT hospitals
>> Spent Rs 23.21 crore out of the Rs 26.84 crore sanctioned under the MPLAD funds