Sena leader Mandlik, who is seeking a second term as an MP with Lok Sabha Elections 2024, emphasised the importance of public faith in PM Modi's leadership.
Sanjay Mandlik with CM Shinde, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and other leaders/ Facebook
Shiv Sena Lok Sabha member from Kolhapur, Sanjay Mandlik expressed faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for India's development, claiming that the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 are a battle of two ideas. Mandlik, who is seeking a second term, emphasised the importance of public faith in Modi's leadership.
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In an interview with PTI, Mandlik addressed his opponent, Shahu Chhatrapati, a scion of the Kolhapur royal family running on the Congress platform, claiming that voters in Kolhapur prioritise their personal well-being over a candidate's stature.
Mandlik lauded Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's development measures, adding that voters had witnessed Shinde's dedication to the state's progress during the last two years, the PTI report added.
"This is a battle of two ideologies and visions. People trust the vision of PM Modi to make India a developed nation. In the Congress rule, we were a developing country and progress was slow," Mandlik told PTI.
Mandlik, further in the interview with the news agency, described the race for Lok Sabha Elections 2024 as a battle of ideologies, emphasising Modi's revolutionary agenda as opposed to the gradual progress under Congress's leadership. He acknowledged Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj's long-standing legacy of social equality and fairness in the Kolhapur community.
"People here do not see who is contesting, but think about themselves and what is good for them. The idea of social equality and justice sowed by Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj remains within every Kolhapurkar. That is never going to change," he said.
Despite experiencing initial criticism after switching allegiance to Shinde's Shiv Sena, Mandlik praised Shinde's dedication to Kolhapur's development, including measures to clean the polluted Panchganga river and win funds for flood protection projects, the report added.
"When I switched to Eknath Shinde's side, I did face opposition from my voters. But in the last two years, they have seen how CM Shinde has worked for the development of the state," Mandlik told the news agency.
Mandlik further discussed his Lok Sabha Elections 2024 campaign approach, including ongoing discussions and preparations for door-to-door canvassing following the filing his nomination. He recalled his decisive victory in the 2019 elections over Dhananjay Mahadik of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The Kolhapur Lok Sabha constituency, a traditional Congress bastion, has seen a shifting political landscape throughout the years. Sadashiv Mandlik, Mandlik's father, represented the constituency from 1999 to 2009, and various parties have held assembly divisions within it.
Voting for Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in Kolhapur constituency is set for May 7, as part of Maharashtra's phased polling from April 19 to May 20.
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