BENGALURU: While there are many who will cough up large amounts of money to secure a medical seat, this final year MD student says being an MLA is more important than becoming a doctor.
Dr Avinash Jadhav, son of Dr Umesh Jadhav, is a 30-year-old student at Khaja Banda Nawaz Institute of Medical Sciences, Gulbarga. The BJP candidate from Chincholi told TNIE, “MLA election comes first, MD final exams next.’’
Asked how he would write his final exams and simultaneously prepare for the elections he said, “My final exams start on May 8, and I have an exam each on May 9, 11, 13 and 14 along with practicals. I won’t be able to do justice to my exams. Serving the people as a politician comes first for me. Therefore, even though I have exams, I will not be able to study.’’
While his classmates are hitting the books for their finals, Dr Avinash will be hitting the streets of Chincholi, explaining to the people why he is the right choice.Asked if the decision to contest for the MLA elections was his or his father Dr Umesh Jadhav’s idea, he said, “Neither. It was the party’s decision. I have familiarised myself with Chincholi constituency for the last six to seven years — my father has been MLA here for two terms. Ideally, I would have loved to clear my exams before I stepped into politics, but since all this happened suddenly, nothing can be done. The elections are fixed for May 19.
Congress state president Dinesh Gundu Rao had asked about the family politics coming into play as senior Jadhav had vacated the seat and his son was given the ticket.’’ To this, Avinash said, “Our family is one of freedom fighters and politicians. My grandfather Gopaldev Jadhav was a freedom fighter, my uncle Prakash Rathod is a Congress MLC who has contested twice from Bijapur, another uncle of mine served as a minister and my father served as twice as MLA.’’
Meanwhile, Congress leaders such as Dinesh Gundu Rao and Priyank Kharge hinted that Dr Umesh Jadhav was poached by the BJP for monetary reasons, which Jadhav senior has opposed, threatening to file a defamation against them for such accusations.