NCP was maligning Congress image: Manikrao Thakre

Q: Are you really relieved to go it alone?
A: In politics, we are used to allegations. But most of the time, it was the NCP leaders against whom allegations of corruption were made and they occupied media space for being tainted. This was hampering our image as well since we were running a coalition government. In this context, it's good for us that we are not fighting the elections with the NCP as our partner.

Q: Does Prithviraj Chavan's allegation about an NCP-BJP understanding hold water?
A: All of us know that NCP announced its decision soon after BJP and Shiv Sena broke their alliance. The character of NCP leadership has always been such that they are unpredictable and they can join hands with anyone for their own benefit. Chavan has pointed it out and we would be telling it to the electorate during our campaign without going for extreme criticism.

Q: Will there be a problem if the campaign becomes chief minister-centric rather than collective?
A: Congress is known for its organisational set-up and culture. By running the administration like he had, Chavan overcame anti-incumbency. He is the most popular choice for the highest post in all the surveys. When he was sent by the high command to lead the state on the background of Adarsh scam allegations, he succeeded in providing a clean and fast administration and Maharashtra retained its top position on all counts. That is the reason we have projected him as the leader. We paid a heavy price by not projecting our leader during the Lok Sabha polls. Our plans would be rolled out in a day or two through our manifesto which would be released either on Gandhi Jayanti or Dashera.