Internal disputes may cost Cong dear

LOK SABHA CONSTITUENCY WATCH/SABARKANTHA/SABARKANTHA

It will be an test for the Congress as it attempts to retain the Sabarkantha Lok Sabha seat for the fourth consecutive term.

The party may find it tough as its candidate, sitting member of Parliament (MP) Madhusudan Mistry, is of the Shankersinh Vaghela camp within the Congress while the seat is traditionally controlled by former state chief minister Amarsinh Choudhary.

Chaudhary's wife Nisha, who passed away in August 2001, has posted three consecutive victories from this seat on the Congress ticket.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded Ramilaben Bara, who contested against Amarsinh Choudhary in the last Assembly elections, from this constituency.

The Sabarkantha constituency is dominated by tribal voters and comprises seven Assembly segments spread across two districts. Vadgam and Danta are in Banaskantha district while Kedbrahma, Ider, Bhiloda, Himatnagar and Modasa are in Sabarkantha district.

The Congress won Vadgam, Danta, Khedbrahma and Bhiloda while the BJP won Ider, Himatnagar and Modasa in last Assembly polls.

The Sabarkantha seat has traditionally been a Congress stronghold. The BJP won the seat in 1991, riding on the Saffron wave following Lal Krishna Advani's rath yatra.

The party's candidate was Arvind Trivedi, who played the role of Ravana in the popular TV serial Ramayana. He defeated sitting MP Maganbhai Patel of Janta Dal (Gujarat) and Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Rajmohan Gandhi of Janata Dal (V P Singh).

The BJP and Janta Dal (VP) contested the elections jointly in 1989 and Maganbhai Patel of the Janata Dal defeated Congress' Tarna Gurjar by over 2 lakh votes. Patel got 56.62 per cent votes while Gurjar got 36.21 per cent votes.

In 1996, Nisha Amarsinh Choudhary defeated Arvind Trivedi by a margin of 40611 votes. Nisha got 52.12 per cent and Trivedi could manage only 42.66 per cent votes.

Choudhary defeated BJP's Kanubhai Patel in 1999 by a margin of 9876 votes, but this time the vote difference was just 1.41 per cent.

In 1999, Choudhary again defeated Kanubhai Patel of the BJP by a margin of 14376 votes. Choudhary got 50.60 per cent and Patel got 48.43 per cent votes.

After the death of Nisha Choudhary, bi-elections were held for this seat. Madhusudan Mistry of the Congress defeated the BJP's Upendra Trivedi by 21191 votes.