Meet Vinod Pokharkar, one of the four nominees of a faction of the Maratha Kranti Morcha (MKM), which had protested for demands like quotas in jobs and education for the dominant Maratha community.
Politicians and candidates are known to make tall promises before the elections and later dismiss them as 'jumlas'. However, an independent nominee from Thane is trying to ensure that an otherwise cynical electorate takes his manifesto seriously — by signing an affidavit on stamp paper.
Meet Vinod Pokharkar, one of the four nominees of a faction of the Maratha Kranti Morcha (MKM), which had protested for demands like quotas in jobs and education for the dominant Maratha community.
Pokharkar, a Navi Mumbai native, who is into the construction business, has issued his manifesto, which contains 37 promises, on stamp paper. This includes ensuring that the accused in the gang-rape and murder of a Maratha girl at Kopardi in 2016 are sentenced to death, withdrawing cases lodged against youth in the Maratha protests and preventing "misuse" of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
If elected, Pokharkar, who was one of the convenors of the MKM, has also promised to ensure priority for sons of soil through a legislation, resolving issues faced by farmers, ensuring legally sustainable quotas for Marathas, increasing suburban train services on the Thane- Vashi and Thane- Panvel routes and developing an education hub in Thane.
"Today, many politicians give promises, but after elected, do not fulfil even one out of 10 manifesto points... The BJP promised to deposit Rs 15 lakh in each bank account, but this was later dismissed as a 'jumla'. I have issued my manifesto on a stamp paper as I am responsible for fulfilling these promises once elected. I am committed to these promises," said Pokharkar, who fancies his chances against the Shiv Sena's incumbent MP Rajan Vichare and his challenger, former Shiv Sena MP-turned NCP man Anand Paranjape.
A section of the MKM has put up four candidates for the Lok Sabha elections from Maharashtra, namely, Pokharkar, Amol Jadhavrao (Mumbai North), Seha Kurhade (North East Mumbai) and Sandeep Pol (Madha). They are being backed by the little-known Samajwadi Forward Bloc.
This is the first attempt at the hustings for Pokharkar, who has been working on the conservation of Maratha-era forts through the 'Sahyadri Prathisthan,' and is the vice-president of the organisation.
At the time of filing his nomination, Pokharkar, who is into the construction business, had created a flutter by bringing a loose change of Rs 25,000 towards his security deposit.
The MKM, an umbrella group of Maratha organisations, has spearheaded the protests seeking quotas for the community. They had also sought death for the Kopardi case accused, remunerative pricing for agricultural produce through the implementation of the M S Swaminathan Commission report, and measures to prevent misuse of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The Marathas (warriors) and Kunbis (tillers) account over 30% of Maharashtra's population.
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