Shashi Kapoor in Deewar may have had his maa, but “humare paas Modi hai”, says Gautam Budh Nagar MP and BJP candidate Mahesh Sharma. Hoping for a second term in the Lok Sabha, Sharma says the “Modi wave” is very much alive and will bring back the ruling party with a much bigger turnout. He speaks to TOI about his poll plans:Q: You won the 2014 Lok Sabha election by over 3 lakh votes. Your detractors say it was because the SP and BSP fought separately and Congress candidate Ramesh Chand Tomar had switched to the BJP just before the polls. How do you see the current political equations?When we talk about gathbandhan, Mayawati does not have a single MP in Parliament. BSP is fighting in 35 seats. Akhilesh is also contesting in 35 seats. Ajit Singh (Rashtriya Lok Dal) is contesting in 2 or 3 seats. If they win all the 72 seats, they can’t form the government at the Centre.Q: Do you consider the SP-BSP combine a serious threat to your prospects?These candidates are not familiar with Gautam Budh Nagar’s geography. They’ve no idea about villages and the sectors. On the other hand, we have an iconic leader in Narendra Modi. There is this famous dialogue from the movie Deewar, “Mere paas maa hai”. My take is, “Hamare paas Narendra Modi hai.”Q: The Congress has fielded Priyanka Gandhi to oversee the party’s prospects in east UP. Will it have an impact on the political scenario?I don’t think her entry into active politics will make any significant difference.Q: What will be your priorities if elected again?I have brought projects worth Rs 50,000 crore in the last five years. Now, I will focus on micro management issues like improving Noida’s traffic system. I will get a thorough study conducted by a private agency on traffic. I will solve this. The other issues I want to address are rural distress and pollution.Q: The Jewar Airport project is a feather in your cap. But farmers are unhappy and have approached the Allahabad high court demanding higher compensation. The court has reserved its order. Will the project take off soon?Yes, there’re few farmers who are objecting to the project. The airport project will take off once HC releases its order. We also plan to extend the metro connectivity to Jewar and Gurgaon.Q: There’s a feeling among rural voters that you have focused more on urban development.I have worked for rural and urban areas alike.Q: Homebuyers’ issues still remain unsolved.We had held meetings with homebuyers, developers and the Authorities. The government has formed UP-RERA. NBCC is also looking into the matter.

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