Will make Borivli a 21st century suburb: Vinod Tawde

Q – With Sena targeting the party, why has BJP been so mellow?
A – Both the BJP and the Sena have similar ideology. We are not happy with what they are doing. They called Modiji Afzal Khan and senior leaders like Vasundhara Raje and Anandiben his army. But it's their choice. We have decided not to react. We will campaign without any mention of them.

Q – Will this animosity affect in voting pattern?
A – Congress president Sonia Gandhi had called Modiji 'maut ka saudagar' before the Lok Sabha polls. The statement did not go down well with the people. Voters gave their answer on the day of voting. It will be the same this time.

Q – Your rivals say Modi wave is no more.
A – What is a Modi wave? Modi wave is a thinking pattern. It is about development. Deciding the policies and projects for the public at large and this development will benefit people directly. People see conviction in Modiji's assurances and they know BJP's team under his leadership can deliver what is promised.

Q – You have been criticised for choosing the safest seat
A – My predecessor Ram Naik was a resident of Goregaon but was elected from Borivli with a thumping majority. Modiji is from Gujarat but he won from Varanasi. Congress has an Italian president, I am at least a Mumbaikar. I hail from Lalbaug and I am a Marathi. On a serious note, when my candidature was discussed three months back, Vile Parle, where I reside was a Shiv Sena seat. The party gave me the order to contest from Borivli and I started working in this constituency.

Q – What are you offering Borivli?
A – Borivli is a developing suburb. I will try to solve their day–to-day problems. BJP MLAs from this area have added value to the area and, taking this legacy ahead, I want to make Borivli, a 21st century suburb. I have plans of making Borivli a service industry hub of Mumbai. There is lot of demand for good educational institutes with engineering, medical, hospitality, architecture, aeronautical, aviation courses. There is a desperate need of a super-specialty hospital. I can facilitate them once voted to power since we have our government at the Centre.

The Borivli tug-of-war
Though Borivli has been traditionally a BJP bastion, this election may see a shift in loyalties of the voters. Shiv Sena has strategically fielded a non-Marathi candidate Uttamprakash Agarwal to ensure that Gujarati and Marwadi votes get divided, which can be a setback for the BJP. MNS candidate Nayan Kadam is all set to polarize the Marathi votes. While the Congress and the NCP candidate Ashok Sutrale and Inderpal Singh respectively may cut into minority votes.