Madhusudan Mistry, the Congress candidate in Vadodara who would take on the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, was happy to find himself pitted against the saffron party’s strong man at his home turf. 

Besides the personal wish to take on Modi, the candidacy became even sweeter as it was an opportunity handed to him by the party high command, which is also an indication of the level of trust placed on him. 

Speaking to Deccan Herald after being handed the ticket to contest from Vadodara, Mistry said unlike Modi, who is trying to earn people’s sympathy by projecting himself as a “chaiwala” or a slum dweller, he was proud of his humble beginnings. 

“When Modi is talking about himself as someone belonging to a tea vendor’s family or a chaiwala, he is drawing the sympathy and not doing it to say how proud he is,” Mistry said.  

Admitting that he too came from a humble background, Mistry said he rose through hard work and education. He hoped voters of Vadodara would send him to Parliament so that he would expose Modi’s lies at his home turf. 

“Vadodara has been out of Congress’ hands since 1996, but the result would be different this time. People realise that they have been taken for a ride with false promises and commitments,’ Mistry said. 

“If (Modi) is confident of victory, he should come out of his comfort zone and contest,” he added, saying Modi should quit his position as Gujarat chief minister, let go of all privileges that come with the position and fight the polls like any other candidate. 

“The BJP has always failed with the numbers (of seats to form the government) and it would not be any different this time,” Mistry noted. He said people of Gujarat had always voted for Congress when it came to voting for a government at the Centre. 

Mistry was also confident that people of the state were aware what was good for their future. 

“Since 2004, the BJP has been saying that the Congress would be reduced to single digit in the fight for the 26 Lok Sabha seats. They have been proved wrong twice and would be proved wrong this time too,” he said. 

Asked why the Congress could not come to power in Gujarat for the past four terms, Mistry said his party was unable to attract money from the corporate the way the BJP did and Congress was fighting money power in the state.  He said he would consult party workers in Vadodara and design a campaign strategy to take on Modi.