Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Bajrang Sonawane is an underdog with nothing to lose

Bajrang Sonwane, the NCP (Sharad Pawar) candidate for Beed. Pic/Nimesh Dave

There is no challenge in this election. The BJP has done nothing despite being in power for the past ten years. Do they want our sons to just run tea stalls along the highways?" NCP (Sharad Pawar) Lok Sabha candidate for Beed, Bajrang Sonwane said. Speaking exclusively with mid-day, Sonwane said promises are being made to voters before the election, but no one in the BJP speaks of what has been done in the last decade.

Bajarang Sonwane contested the Lok sabha election in 2019. He secured 5.09 lakh votes, while Dr Pritam Munde (BJP candidate) secured 6.78 lakh votes. Sonwane is chairman of the Yesdeshwar Cooperative Sugar Mill and is a part of a cooperative movement in the district. He was also a member of the District Council of Beed.

Excerpts from the interview…

You are contesting against a heavyweight family. Do you see this as a challenge?
No, I don't feel there is any challenge. They have done nothing for the constituency in the last 10 years. There is no drinking water, no water for agriculture and no industries for employment. They are now making promises about what they will do, but what have they done in the past ten years? BJP has been in power at the Centre for 10 years. The Munde family has been in power for nine years in the state. Why is there still no development? What happened to the railway project? Why are farmers not getting water? They are just cheating voters. Suddenly, the brother and sister have come together.

One cannot deny that there has been development on the infra front. Highways have been built, railways are progressing...
So what? People need a good rate for farm yield. They need water for agriculture and drinking. They build highways, but does this benefit the villagers? They want farmers to run only tea stalls along the highway. Farmers are not getting a good rate for their crops. The youth want jobs. If they are not getting this, what is the use of the highway for them?

Are you facing a challenge with the new election symbol?
Not at all. Our symbol has already reached the voters via social media. Our leader Sharad Pawar contested the election on many different symbols. At that time, there was no social media. This time, we have already taken our symbol to every village. Voters are very smart. They will think about inflation, agriculture and employment before voting.

The Marathas and Dhangars are upset with BJP. How do you find yourself placed in the fight?
They are upset because the BJP used the reservation issue as an election tool. They promised everything but gave nothing. Now, the voters understand this strategy. BJP is just show business. The current leadership of Beed didn't side with the farmers and never supported reservations. The BJP has always taken decisions against farmers, never giving a good price to the yield. If farmers got a good cost, they took a decision against them. In villages, there are also many other issues like irrigation, yield cost and jobs. But the BJP has done nothing. They will face the people's anger in the elections.

What is your vision for the constituency?
I will work on increasing the income of farmers. I will also work on irrigation and on provision of drinking water. Employment is another issue that needs to be urgently addressed. I will work to start industries in Beed. This constituency needs a mega-dam project which will give water for irrigation, drinking and industries, too. To start businesses, we need a rail network, which I will work on. I want to see that the youth of Beed don't migrate for jobs. If they get a good income from agriculture and get a job here, why will they move?