Mumbaikar says Prithviraj Chavan’s clean image may not be enough to ensure good governance, and that he will have to endear the people to him.
Mumbaikars appear ready, as always, to move on. Most people DNA spoke to were happy that a new chief minister has been appointed, but cautioned that Prithviraj Chavan’s clean image may not be enough to ensure good governance, and that he will have to endear the people to him.
“Maharashtra needs a political makeover, whether it’s the ruling party or the opposition. Nobody has their priorities in place and there is a need for grass root level political changes to ensure that the state is rid of the mess it’s in,” said Jayadev Calamur, a media professional.
Calamur’s view is shared many Mumbaikars, who feel that in the past few years, the state’s politics has been going through a lot of ups and downs.
“The only man to serve two terms as the state chief minister was Vasantrao Naik. In the last few years, no one has been able to complete their term. This is because of the scams and controversies,” says Sam Kurian, a businessman.
Honesty tops of the list of qualities people think the new chief minister should possess. They don’t want to see hidden skeletons tumbling out of the closet in the future.
They also want Chavan to focus on fast-paced development in terms of infrastructure, creation of facilities to provide good education and incentives to the poor. “He better be an ‘adarsh’ CM, especially after the fiasco,” joked Shalvi Mangaokar, a writer by
profession
“My father was a farmer and I know the difficulties they face. Therefore, I hope the new chief minister works for the people at grass root level,” said Ghita Pereira, a teacher.
However, many feel that being relatively unknown in his home state might work to his disadvantage. “Chavan not being a leader of the masses is his only drawback. He will have to work hard to become popular with the electorate,” said Vipul Bondal, vice president of a communications firm.
“Given the antecedents of his predecessors and the circumstances of their exit, his squeaky-clean image would certainly be a boost for the Congress in the state.
“In fact, that is one of the prime criterion on which he appears to have been chosen as the man for the post,” said Paras Parekh, a high court advocate.
Bhavana Shukla, a consultant, summed it up by saying, “Nobody comes with a magic wand, and only time will tell how he scores on the people’s report card.”
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