Kolhapur, Oct 19 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said Kaustubh Gawade could emerge as the youngest member in the history of the teachers’ constituency if elected in the legislative council polls.
Polls to the Pune Graduates, Nagpur Graduates, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates, Pune Teachers and Amravati Teachers constituencies will take place on October 23, while votes will be counted on October 27. Registered graduates and teachers residing in the respective constituencies are eligible to vote.
Gawade, the Mahayuti’s candidate for Pune Teachers seat, became eligible to contest the upcoming Legislative Council elections just two days before the nomination process, Fadnavis pointed out. Had the nomination process begun 10 to 12 days earlier, he might not have been in the fray, the CM said here.
Campaigning for Gawade and Smita Jadhav, the Mahayuti alliance’s candidate for Pune Graduates constituency, the CM said the polls were not about forming or destabilising the government but about electing representatives who could effectively raise the concerns of teachers and graduates.
“Kolhapur will create two records if both our candidates are elected. Smita tai will become the first woman legislator from the Graduates’ constituency, while Kaustubh Gawade will be the youngest MLC in the history of the Teachers’ constituency,” he said.
He attributed Gawade’s candidature to divine intervention, saying it appeared that Goddess Mahalakshmi Ambabai had decided he should become an MLC.
The chief minister said the two constituencies were designed to ensure concerns of specific sections of society were represented in the legislature.
Explaining the significance of the bicameral system, Fadnavis said the Legislative Council serves as a platform where representatives of teachers, graduates and other specified sections can offer their perspectives on policies, legislation and budgetary decisions taken by the assembly.
“The elections are not about which government will be formed or destabilised. The Mahayuti was given a two-thirds majority nearly two years ago, and we also have a two-thirds majority in the Legislative Council. These elections are important because they allow teachers and graduates to elect representatives who can champion their interests,” he said.
Fadnavis said electing representatives from the ruling alliance would help ensure their demands reached the government and were acted upon.
Referring to memorandums submitted to him by Gawade, Fadnavis said representatives must be able to approach the chief minister and ministers confidently to follow up on public grievances.
Some government officials delayed files instead of processing them, he said, adding that elected representatives could intervene to ensure decisions were implemented.
Praising Jadhav, Fadnavis cited her experience in education and management, as well as her vision for graduates, and expressed confidence that she would make valuable contribution to the Legislative Council.
He urged voters to mark ‘1’ against the names of Gawade and Jadhav to give them the first preference and help them secure victory.
He said Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur districts of western Maharashtra were emerging as growth engines, generating employment opportunities for young people and graduates.
Fadnavis also cited the government’s initiatives in agriculture, irrigation and education, including the provision of free electricity to farmers, the cancellation of outstanding power bills worth Rs 48,000 crore and the recruitment of 10,000 teachers, with a further recruitment process for 30,000 posts underway.
He said Maharashtra’s education budget stood at Rs 90,000 crore, describing such spending as an investment in human resources rather than an expenditure.
Gawade said he would take up concerns of teachers at the government level and pursue concrete measures to address issues affecting their service conditions and day-to-day functioning.
The key issues include reducing teachers’ non-academic workload arising from online data entry, surveys and administrative reporting; ensuring clarity on the old pension scheme; expediting recruitment to fill vacant teaching posts; and resolving delays in promotions, salary fixation and other service-related matters. PTI SPK BNM
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