 "Cong will benefit by going alone in UP, reap long term benefits: Scindia")
The Congress decided to go it alone in Uttar Pradesh keeping its "long-term interests" in mind, says senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, exuding confidence that the party will do much better than in 2014 in the state.
The Congress general secretary, in-charge of the party's affairs for Uttar Pradesh (West), said the strategy was to build the party in the state and the results will show that fighting the elections on its own strength was the right decision.
After spending sometime in Uttar Pradesh that sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, Scindia is now concentrating on the Guna parliamentary constituency in Madhya Pradesh as he seeks mandate for a fifth term.
"This time we have decided to fight on our own strength in Uttar Pradesh and build the party in the state and you will see based on the results in UP that probably it was the right decision keeping the long term interests of the party in mind," Scindia told PTI in an interview.
"We will do a much better job this time around for the whole of UP. Let the voters decide," the 48-year-old added.
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He sidestepped a question on whether the BSP-SP-RLD 'mahagathbandhan' will harm the Congress' prospects in Uttar Pradesh.
"I think every party will emerge wherever it is the strongest. So, it's not a question of the 'mahagathbandhan' harming the prospects of Congress party or vice versa. It really depends on which party has the strongest candidate and the strongest organisation, " he said.
Politics, Scindia said, is the art of possibilities.
"At the end of the day, everything is possible in politics and you must persevere and you must make an effort. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't," the four-time MP said.
On what will happen after May 23 (day of counting), he said we will see once the chips fall.
In 2014, the BJP walked away with 71 of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress won two seats, Apna Dal snatched two seats and Samajwadi Party was victorious in five.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi's sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is the Congress general secretary in-charge for UP (East).
Scindia said the recently appointed Congress government in Madhya Pradesh had done a good job in delivering on pre-poll promises.
"The MP government has done an extremely terrific job. In a short period of time they have accomplished so much. From farm loan waivers to increasing the amount given to girls who are getting married, increasing pension amount, reducing electricity bills and others. Some very monumental decisions that were promised by our party before the polls are now in execution mode," he said.
Asked about reports on a spate of power cuts in Madhya Pradesh after the Kamal Nath-led government took over, Scindia said they are dealing with the legacy of the previous BJP government of the state and the promise of farm loan waiver is being executed properly.
"It is a legacy (electricity issue) they (BJP) have left us which we will have to fix. No one has a magic wand that will fix everything in 50 days. As far as farm loan waiver is concerned, what they (BJP) have not been able to do in 15 years we have done in 20 days, 27 lakh farmers have received it and balance will get credited into their accounts as soon as the model code of conduct is removed," he said.
The Congress had promised before the 2018 assembly polls in the state that bank loans of farmers up to Rs 2 lakh will be waived after the Congress takes charge.
Queried on the prospects of him being projected as the possible chief minister of the state during the elections last year, Scindia said he never hankered for a post.
"My pursuit in life is not power or position. My pursuit in life is the goal of development and progress for my people. For me, position and power is not important. Service is important.
"Therefore, when my party has taken a decision, that decision for me is paramount," Scindia said.
The Congress, out of power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003, unseated the Shivraj Singh Chouhan led government in November last year by winning 114 seats while the BJP secured 109.
The state has 29 Lok Sabha seats and in the last general elections the BJP won a total of 26 seats.
The Congress won one more seat in a bypoll later that was held after the death of the sitting BJP MP from Ratlam.