All partymen are working for my victory: Priya Dutt

Priya Dutt, the Congress party’s two-term incumbent from the Mumbai North Central seat, faces a tough re-election challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Poonam Mahajan. Both invoke the legacy of their respective late fathers, Sunil Dutt and Pramod Mahajan. She speaks to Sanjay Jog on the contest. Edited excerpts:

You face a serious challenge from within, as internal party differences have surfaced during the campaigning.

There are no differences. All MLAs, corporators and cadre of my party are working for my victory.

Ministers, legislators and party officebearers have complained about your total neglect of them and say they’re keeping away from  campaigning.

All legislators of my constituency are working for me; so are legislators from the NCP (the coalition ally), Nawab Malik and Milind Kamble, campaigning for me. Our party MLAs from adjoining constituencies have also joined my campaign.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had to intervene to bring all groups together. Are those groups active and working for you?

The CM called a meeting. We discussed several issues related to Mumbai and the preparations to be made for the public meeting, scheduled in my constituency.

Besides, the BJP has fielded Pramod Mahajan's daughter, while the Samajwadi Party has nominated Farhan Azmi. Will division of votes go against you?

Five years earlier, the BJP had fielded Mahesh Jethmalani and the BSP had fielded a Muslim candidate but the people elected me with a margin of 177,000 votes.

What are the major issues?

The most important is the rehabilitation of people living on airport land. Houses for them should be built on airport land itself. Development should happen with a human face. Similarly, rehabilitation of people living on railway land should be done. Slum rehabilitation area schemes also need to be re-invented and made more transparent.

Most people come to me with issues such as water shortage/connections, desilting of drains, building toilet blocks/sanitation facilities —most of these are civic issues. It is a pity that the BJP-Sena, in power for the past 22 years in the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation, have not been able to provide basic amenities like proper roads, water and sanitation to the common man.

How are you mobilising support from first-time voters, instead of relying on traditional voters like Muslim and Dalits?

I am using Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp. I also have my own website and personal page, wherein young voters can connect with me directly.