Baji Prabhu says they will defeat the father-son duo of the Ranes
Dressed in a simple shirt and shorts, this frail 83-year-old man comes across as just another long-retired senior citizen.
But it is the calm determination of Baji Prabhu, a former teacher, which explains why he has become the voice of those who are too scared to speak out in this sleepy, coastal village of Parule in Maharashtra's Konkan belt.
Their only mission is to defeat Narayan Rane, a former minister and the sitting Congress MLA for the past 25 years and his son Nilesh. Both are contesting from Kudal and Kankavali constituencies respectively for the assembly elections next week.
What locals resent most is having to sell their land dirt-cheap to the state government for projects in the name of development. Mr Prabhu says that in 1999, the state government initially purchased 54 hectares of land at Rs 1,500 per hectare for the development of a green field airport at Chipi, right on the border with Goa. The market rate at the time, he says, was 10 times higher.
"They finally purchased a total of 271 hectares for just Rs 1.62 crore and they sold it to the company building the airport for Rs 22 crore. We are not against the airport... But we are angry as Narayan Rane fooled and cheated us," Mr Prabhu said, adding "We will defeat the father-son duo of the Ranes."
In May, those affected by various projects reportedly met secretly and passed a resolution to not vote for Nilesh, Narayan Rane's elder son and a sitting MP.
Worse, Mr Rane's aides and local leaders openly accused him of high-handed behaviour, some even deserting him. The collective protest ensured Nilesh was defeated by Shiv Sena's Vinayak Raut.
But the senior Congressman remains unfazed.
"It's not just a dream. That dream to become the Chief Minister will soon become a reality," he declared.
Maharashtra will vote for a new government on October 15; the results will be declared four days later.