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 declared on 20 March and shockingly Indira Gandhi and her Congress Party were routed. Janata Party came to power; for the first time non-Congress government started governing India. The following year, in January 1978, elections were declared for Maharashtra State Assembly. Mama Shinde who was denied ticket for Khed constituency by the Janata Party, decided to contest election as an independent candidate. Joshi decided to put his entire might behind Mama. Every morning Joshi would reach residence of Mama in his Jeep, with full tank and himself at the wheel. Till end of the day he would be at Mama’s service driving him wherever he wanted to go for campaigning. Mama was very popular in the area and everyone was convinced that he would be elected. But somehow in the actual voting the Congress candidate Ram Janardan Kandage won, securing double the number of votes that Mama had got. Kandage himself also regarded Mama as his Guru. Everyone was shocked by the result. Joshi realized how we often were wrong in judging the actual mood of the people and how arithmetic of elections in India is quite different from what we imagine. Of course for Joshi outcome of the election was less important. For him it was the opportunity to understand that constituency. At every village while Mama addressed a meeting or was engaged in group discussion, Joshi would quietly stand in a corner and listen to whatever was said. He also observed reactions on the faces of people. If there was an opportunity, he himself also talked to local farmers about their problems. With his personality he obviously used to stand out in the crowd and people began to have a good opinion of him. Mama used to say, ‘We politicians struggle to go to Delhi from Chakan and here is this man who had come to Chakan all the way from Europe! And now is struggling to go to the furthest point of Chakan area at Vandre village!’ 90

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Sharad Joshi : Leading Farmers to the Centre Stage