In his toughest poll battle yet, R R Patil’s village pays its ‘debt’

Ever since the Assembly polls were announced, villagers have volunteered for Patil’s campaign, says Gajanan Mahajan (42), a lawyer.

The army volunteers include women of all ages, middle aged men, and youngsters.

Patil, who has consistently represented the Tasgaon Assembly segment for nearly 25 years, faces a tough contest this time with the BJP fielding former Congressman Ajit Ghorpade against him.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Patil’s main rival in the NCP Sanjay Kaka Patil had crossed over to the BJP and is now the Lok Sabha MP from Sangli. A split in the NCP ranks followed, with several influential local leaders switching over to the BJP.

“Aaba has done a lot for the village. It’s payback time now,” says Mahesh Bhosale (28), who is employed as a peon in a nearby college.
Patil is popularly referred to as “Aaba.”

Armed with pamphlets, brochures and stickers, the “RR army” goes door-to-door in nearby areas, promoting the “development” undertaken by Patil for the region. While the village women reach out to voters through the traditional haldi-kumkum celebrations, the male volunteers target farm lands, bazaars and village chowks. In a bid to strike a chord with voters from these areas, the volunteers have also initiated their own “Aaba for CM” campaign.

“We tell people that electing Aaba could mean that the state’s next chief minister would hail from the region,” Mahajan says.

While the NCP has not declared its chief ministerial candidate, Mahajan claims Patil would be a top contender for the office should the party come to power.

“He has held senior portfolios such as rural development department and home department. He has already served as deputy chief minister,” he says.

Shakuntala Mahadik (45), another local, says the villagers make their own eating arrangements too, packing home-cooked food as they set out for their mission.

Patil’s daughter Smita, a law student in Mumbai, who has taken time off for his poll campaign, says they have come out with customised pamphlets showcasing the work carried out by Patil in each pocket.

Anjani farmer Dilip Awate (55) claims the volunteers also hear ouat complaints by voters and attempt to resolve these. “We return to our homes by 6 pm,” he says. The long weekend early this month allowed almost all adults of the village, which has a voting population of about 2,700 to join in the campaign, Awate says.

On other days, at least one member from each family spares time to campaign for Aaba, Bhosale says. “We shall continue the routine till campaigning ends,” he adds.

Anjani is connected with a good road network. Irrigation water made available to farms during Patil’s tenure has increased farm yield. He has also set up a cotton mill in the region, where local villagers are employed.

“We have no complaints against him. He has given us everything,” a local village woman said.

The RR camp concedes it is still wary of the Modi effect on voters. The Modi factor had single-handedly led Sanjay Kaka Patil to a landslide win in Sangli LS seat, which had earlier remained a loyal Congress bastion since Independence.

Smita also concedes that unemployment concerns in certain pockets of the Assembly belt, a point raised by the opponents, were valid to a certain extent. But she quickly adds, “My father’s attempts to bring an industrial estate in the region was blocked by these very opponents.”