An alumnus of the National Institute of Design is taking on the political might of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming state assembly elections.
Pravin Mishra has filed his nomination from Maninagar assembly consituency considered a Modi stronghold.
Contesting as a candidate of the little-known New Socialist Movement, Pravin says he is confident of giving a tough fight to the Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart.
"I am very confident that I will be giving Modi a good fight," said the 31-year-old who came to Gujarat 11 years ago as a student of post-graduate programme in Communication Design at NID in Ahmedabad.
Asked how he is going to tackle Modi's iconic image in a Hindu-dominated constituency, Parvin concedes, "I admit it's tough."
"In the last few years of Modi's rule, the gap between the haves and have-nots have increased, thanks to the chief minister who has always been eager to help the industrialists while ignoring the common man," Mishra said.
On asking what made him decide to take on Modi, Pravin replied, "It is high time that educated youth take charge and take on the facists in their headquarters."
"Like many others in Gujarat, the communal riots of 2002 changed the entire agenda of my life," he said.
Quizzed about his electorates, he said, "I am targeting the youth and the working class electorates in my constituency who have a moderate mind-set and are looking for a politcal change."
"The Maninagar constituency has about 3 lakh voters so it is difficult to do a door-to-door campaign," he said adding, he will ask the Dalits, minorities and moderate Hindus to vote for him when Maninagar goes to poll in the second phase of the elections on December 16.
"In the last few years, Congress, the main opposition party of Gujarat, has failed in its responsiblities. This is the reason why Modi has flourished," Pravin, who hails from Saurath village of Madhubani district in Bihar, said.
Pravin said his newly-floated party NSM has fielded its president Mukul Sinha against Gujarat Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel from Shahpur constituency of Ahmedabad.
NSM's general secretary Amrish Patel will fight Gujarat Law Minister Ashok Bhatt in Khadia constituency in Ahmedabad.
