BULDHANA, Feb 16: A goodwill and friendship wave seems to be sweeping the Congress off its feet in Maharashtra, with arch rivals turning pals on the eve of mid-term polls.If last week it was S B Chavan who made peace with Sharad Pawar at Nanded, this time around it was the turn of Sudhakarrao Naik to mend fences with the Maratha strongman. Naik, who had once taken the lead in initiating a vilification campaign against Pawar, has now accepted his leadership and even showered unexpected praise on the former chief minister.In an interview with The Indian Express, Naik said, ``Pawar will have my wholehearted support if he emerges as a front runner for the prime minister's post after the elections.''But what prompted this turnaround in Naik's stance? The changing political situation in the country made him reconsider his views on Pawar, he explains. As if to stress his point, he adds, ``I will ensure that all party workers from Maharashtra stand by him.''There was also pressure on him fromCongressmen to end an age-old bitter battle, keeping the party's best interests in mind, Naik confesses. Besides, ``Personally, I felt that Pawar was moving on the right track and we should support him,'' he said.Going on to speak about Sonia's impact on the poll scenario, Naik remarked that there was a Sonia wave not only in the Vidarbha region, but also in the entire State. ``She has enthused party workers and has promised a better future for Congress,'' he said.The Congress would win at least 10 out of the 11 seats in Vidarbha, Naik said. In the State, it would not be difficult to secure 33 to 36 seats out of 48, he added.His confidence in a Congress victory was not just because of the Sonia factor, explained Naik. ``Rural masses are tired of corruption under the Shiv Sena-BJP regime at all levels, right from the zilla parishad and tehsil office to Mantralaya,'' he said.And now that Naik is a candidate from Washim constituency in Akola district, what happens to his retirement plans? ``Well, Iwanted to retire since I had seen everything.but the pressure from party workers forced me to resume my political career,'' he said.He also dismissed reports stating that he was planning to join the Shiv Sena but admitted to having a prolonged meeting with Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. ``I am a true Congressman and there is no question of my joining any other party,'' he said.About his prospects at the hustings, Naik expressed confidence that he would win with a margin of over a lakh votes. In 1996, he had lost at Washim with a huge margin. But this was due to the division of votes owing to the presence of Bahujan Mahasangh nominee Makhram Pawar and also due to the row over the creation of Washim district, Naik said. Now that there was an alliance between the Congress and the RPI, the opposition votes would be consolidated in his favour, he added.Besides, the dispute over the creation of Washim district had been settled, with the Government announcing a new district. ``It was an allianceGovernment decision, but I hope I will reap the benefits,'' he said. When asked what his reaction would have been had the Sena pitted former former Chief Election Commissioner T N Seshan against him in Washim constituency, Naik replied that it would have made the elections more interesting. ``But I do not think that Seshan was really interested in contesting mid-term polls,'' he said.
