Devendra Fadnavis and his wife show their inked fingers at a booth in Nagpur on Wednesday

Devendra Fadnavis, 44, the BJP’s Maharashtra president who is considered a front-runner for chief minister if the election outcome on Sunday pitchforks the party to power in the state, spoke to The Telegraph on Wednesday. The following are excerpts:

Q: Why is being a Brahmin considered an electoral disqualification in Maharashtra?

Fadnavis: It used to be a disqualification because caste polarisation was very high in Maharashtra. But of late, the caste factor is limited to the political class. The voter has moved forward. In Maharashtra, around 40 per cent voters are in the 18-30 age group. They do not vote on caste. This voter is voting on issues of growth, jobs, education. Yes caste is a factor but not as much as it used to be.

Q: Many in your party and in your rival parties have made your Brahmin caste an issue…

Fadnavis: I don’t think so. I think I should be judged by my work, my commitment, by the social issues I am raising and fighting for -- not by my caste. It would be unfortunate if it happened.

Q: In case the BJP gets a majority on its own, your caste might not be a problem. But if there is a hung Assembly, will the fiercely anti-Brahminical Maratha and OBC community leaders in your party accept you as the head of their government?

Fadnavis: First thing: I am the BJP’s party president of Maharashtra. To become chief minister is not my priority. The party will decide about it at an appropriate time. So far as hung Assembly options… I can tell you I have felt the pulse of the people and people will give a decisive mandate for the BJP here. So, I have no doubt that we will get an absolute, clear majority. We are not thinking about any other political situation.

We are expecting around 140-145 seats but the voting percentage is significant. If it goes beyond 60 per cent, for every per cent of vote, we will get five to seven seats more. (The final turnout was 64 per cent.)

Q: Your family has had a long association with the RSS. Your father was an MLC of the Jan Sangh from Nagpur…

Fadnavis: The RSS has taught me nationalism. I have learnt that as a swayamsevak. Owing to RSS sanskar (values), we believe in a casteless society. However, we do believe that there has been a caste system in which certain classes are unprivileged. It is the responsibility of the society that now they also get privileges. The social structure has always been clear in my mind because of the RSS and that’s why I feel that whatever I am today is because of RSS and its original sanskar. Never in the RSS have we been taught to hate anyone.

Q: In this election, all the tall leaders of your party in the state openly sought votes in their constituencies by projecting themselves as prospective chief ministers. Was it a strategy or are there too many political ambitions at play?

Fadnavis: As a part of a strategy. There is a local sentiment always. If people feel “people from my area, my community, my locality can get a better position” -- they vote for that party. So, I think it is limited to that. Otherwise, it is clear in everybody’s mind that in the BJP you do not project yourself. It is the party which chooses.

Q: So, it is a well thought-out strategy?

Fadnavis: To some extent, yes. It is.

Q: In that case, is it not an act of dishonesty with the people?

Fadnavis: I don’t think so, nobody is saying I will come. Everybody is saying I can -- and yes, any one of us can become chief minister. I don’t think it is dishonest. It is a collective leadership and depending on who party chooses, anyone can become (CM).

Q: But is it not a false promise?

Fadnavis: In this case, any of these tall leaders of BJP in the state, if they do not become chief minister, will become a senior minister. People’s aspirations will be met. It is all about positions number one, number two or number three. So, that is not a betrayal. It always happens. And a person does not project -- it is the people who project, karyakartas (party workers) project. Then you can’t stop them publicly -- it is part of the enthusiasm and you have to maintain the tempo. So certainly you tell them that this is not the way and party will decide but you cannot stop them openly. I have categorically said from first day that as party president my priority is to bring party to power. Who becomes CM is not my issue – the party will decide.

Q: You have personally led the charge against NCP’s Ajit Pawar on corruption allegations. In case of a hung Assembly, will the BJP take the NCP’s help?

Fadnavis: In no eventuality, under no condition, will we ever go with the NCP... we just cannot. Fortunately, this time we are sure of our majority but I want to just emphasise that in no, no, no, eventuality will we go with the NCP.

Q: Is there any possibility of a patch-up with the Sena?

Fadnavis: There will not be any need. We will get majority. But the Sena is not our political enemy. Since we are confident that we will get absolute majority, we have not given it any thought.

Q: Why was the parting with the Sena so bitter?

Fadnavis: The language which was used -- by both the Thackeray brothers about Modiji -- is not Maharashtra’s culture. It will backfire and people will give a befitting reply. When we parted ways we always thought that our goal is same, but our way is different. The goal was to remove the Congress-NCP government. But eventually we found out that while we were fighting the Congress and the NCP, the Shiv Sena was fighting and targeting only the BJP.

Q: Do you sense a coming together of the Shiv Sena and the NCP in case of a hung Assembly?

Fadnavis: I do not know, but the way Mr Sharad Pawar suddenly started praising Uddhav Thackeray, it speaks volumes. I would say if such a marriage happens, it will not be a marriage of convenience but it will be a marriage of betrayal (of the people).

Q: Will the credit for a BJP win in Maharashtra go to Modi or the state leadership?

Fadnavis: Credit will go to the people. Modiji will be instrumental in bringing this change because by addressing 27 rallies – he has directly connected with at least 50 lakh people of Maharashtra and through media he has reached the last voter of Maharashtra. Modiji has created a positive sentiment and the state leadership will convert that into votes.

Q: Will Devendra Fadnavis break up Maharashtra, will he give the people of Vidarbha a state of their own?

Fadnavis: Small states is the BJP’s ideology – not Devendra Fadnavis’s alone. We feel states should be created to ensure administrative efficiency and socio-economic change and based on this ideology, we created three states…. The basic difference between us and the Congress is that the BJP creates states and the Congress breaks states – look at Telangana and Andhra, like two enemies fighting, like two brothers fighting for blood.

Q: Will creation of Vidarbha make the BJP unpopular in Maharashtra?

Fadnavis: Vidarbha came into Maharashtra through an agreement when this state was formed. Vidarbha has made this sacrifice for Maharashtra so Mumbai could be part of Maharashtra.

Q: Would you like to be CM of Vidarbha or CM of Maharashtra if the new state is formed?

Fadnavis: Till I am in Maharashtra, I will work for every part of Maharashtra, but whenever the time comes, I would want to be a Vidarbhaite.