 "BJP aims for whitewash in Gujarat as Congress struggles to hold ground")
As campaigning for the seventh round of Lok Sabha elections and by-elections for seven assembly seats ended on Monday, the BJP in Gujarat is banking heavily on the popularity of its chief minister and party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi contesting from Vadodara seat.
While, the state Congress which is struggling to stay in contest is hoping that the caste equations in Saurashtra regions and tribal belt of Gujarat saves it from complete wipe-out.
The important candidates for BJP in fray Gujarat at Modi from Vadodara, L K Advani from Gandhinagar seat. For the Congress Union ministers Bharatsinh Solanki and Tushar Chaudhary are contesting from Anand and Bardoli seats respectively. Also contesting from Kheda seat is union minister Dinsha Patel who was earlier reluctant to fight Lok Sabha polls, but agreed at the insistence of the party high command at the last minute.
Interestingly, only 16 women candidates are contesting the Lok Sabha election in 2014, as against 26 in 2009. BJP has fielded four women candidates against one each by Congress, AAP, CPi and Voter’s Party. BSP has two women candidates while six women are contesting a independents. Out of the 334 candidates 66 have criminal cases pending against them, while 78 are millionaires (21 from BJP, Congress 20, AAP 12 and BSP 1).
Gujarat has over 40.5 million registered voters with 21.2 million males, 19.36 million females and 285 in others category. Voting will be done in 45,380 polling stations across the state involving over a million government officials.
For the ruling BJP the challenge will be to better the record of 2009 and that too with higher margins. State energy minister and MLA from Akota assembly seat under Vadodara parliamentary constituency, Saurabh Patel has claimed that BJP will win with a historic margin in Gujarat. He also hoped of historic voter turnout on April 30, all to make Modi the PM.
During the final stages of campaigning, the Gujarat BJP also invoked ‘Gujarat Pride’ and urged voters to make Modi, a Gujarati’ the prime minister. Several advertisements had appeared in print as well as television medium urging people to vote for BJP by invoking their Gujarati identity. One of the print advertisements carried Modi’s picture, bigger than that of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel and also displays his proposed pet project - the ‘Statue of Unity’. “The ideals of Gandhi and Sardar will exist, only if a Gujarati wins,” the advertisement said.
The BJP candidates in Gujarat are depending heavily on the Modi wave in the Country. They went on to the extent of seeking vote for Modi and not them. In rallies in their areas, these leaders have been shouting slogans of ‘Modi for PM’ and asking voters to vote for Gujarati prime minister.
But Congress cannot be completely written off. The Congress is likely to put a strong fight at least five or six seats. These include the twin neighbouring seats of Kheda and Anand in central Gujarat where it is expected to be a close fight. Veteran Congress leader Dinsha Patel has been fielded again from Kheda and Union minister Bharatsinh Solanki, son of former Gujarat chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki, is contesting from the Anand seat.
The BJP has fielded sitting MLAs from Anand and Kheda - Dilip Patel and Devusinh Chauhan respectively.
The Congress is also expected to emerge strong in the tribal dominated Bardoli seat in south Gujarat where union minister Tushar Chaudhary is pitted against Prabhu Vasava a former Congressman who joined BJP just before Lok Sabha polls were announced.
Another seat where Congress is likely to win is the Sabarkantha seat in north Gujarat from where former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela is contesting. The same is being said about Congress’s Somabhai Patel contesting from Surendranagar seat. He is pitted this time against Devjibhai Fatehpara of the BJP.
Close contests are also on the cards in Panchmahals and Dahod of eastern Gujarat. Congress has pitted Amul dairy chief Ramshin Parmar against BJP’s sitting MP Prabhatsinh Chauhan in Panchmahal while in neighbouring Dahod, the contest is between sitting Congress MP Prabha Taviyad and BJP MLA Jaswant Bhabhor.
“For the Congress caste equation will play an important role. Wherever they have pitted candidate from numerically dominating caste it is likely to get advantage. Caste equation will always be a factor in elections in Gujarat,” said political observer Vidyut Joshi.
In 2009 Lok Sabha elections BJP had won 15 seats while Congress had bagged 11. Later, during by-elections BJP took up the tally to 17 and Congress was left with only nine seats.
While, the state Congress which is struggling to stay in contest is hoping that the caste equations in Saurashtra regions and tribal belt of Gujarat saves it from complete wipe-out.
The important candidates for BJP in fray Gujarat at Modi from Vadodara, L K Advani from Gandhinagar seat. For the Congress Union ministers Bharatsinh Solanki and Tushar Chaudhary are contesting from Anand and Bardoli seats respectively. Also contesting from Kheda seat is union minister Dinsha Patel who was earlier reluctant to fight Lok Sabha polls, but agreed at the insistence of the party high command at the last minute.
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For the 26 Lok Sabha seats which goes to poll on April 30, there are 334 candidates in fray. BJP has fielded 26 candidates while Congress has nominated 25 candidates. For one seat in Porbander Congress has entered into pre-poll alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Other parties like Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Janta Dal (U), Samajwadi Party (SP) have fielded candidates for various seats.
Interestingly, only 16 women candidates are contesting the Lok Sabha election in 2014, as against 26 in 2009. BJP has fielded four women candidates against one each by Congress, AAP, CPi and Voter’s Party. BSP has two women candidates while six women are contesting a independents. Out of the 334 candidates 66 have criminal cases pending against them, while 78 are millionaires (21 from BJP, Congress 20, AAP 12 and BSP 1).
Gujarat has over 40.5 million registered voters with 21.2 million males, 19.36 million females and 285 in others category. Voting will be done in 45,380 polling stations across the state involving over a million government officials.
For the ruling BJP the challenge will be to better the record of 2009 and that too with higher margins. State energy minister and MLA from Akota assembly seat under Vadodara parliamentary constituency, Saurabh Patel has claimed that BJP will win with a historic margin in Gujarat. He also hoped of historic voter turnout on April 30, all to make Modi the PM.
During the final stages of campaigning, the Gujarat BJP also invoked ‘Gujarat Pride’ and urged voters to make Modi, a Gujarati’ the prime minister. Several advertisements had appeared in print as well as television medium urging people to vote for BJP by invoking their Gujarati identity. One of the print advertisements carried Modi’s picture, bigger than that of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel and also displays his proposed pet project - the ‘Statue of Unity’. “The ideals of Gandhi and Sardar will exist, only if a Gujarati wins,” the advertisement said.
The BJP candidates in Gujarat are depending heavily on the Modi wave in the Country. They went on to the extent of seeking vote for Modi and not them. In rallies in their areas, these leaders have been shouting slogans of ‘Modi for PM’ and asking voters to vote for Gujarati prime minister.
But Congress cannot be completely written off. The Congress is likely to put a strong fight at least five or six seats. These include the twin neighbouring seats of Kheda and Anand in central Gujarat where it is expected to be a close fight. Veteran Congress leader Dinsha Patel has been fielded again from Kheda and Union minister Bharatsinh Solanki, son of former Gujarat chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki, is contesting from the Anand seat.
The BJP has fielded sitting MLAs from Anand and Kheda - Dilip Patel and Devusinh Chauhan respectively.
The Congress is also expected to emerge strong in the tribal dominated Bardoli seat in south Gujarat where union minister Tushar Chaudhary is pitted against Prabhu Vasava a former Congressman who joined BJP just before Lok Sabha polls were announced.
Another seat where Congress is likely to win is the Sabarkantha seat in north Gujarat from where former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela is contesting. The same is being said about Congress’s Somabhai Patel contesting from Surendranagar seat. He is pitted this time against Devjibhai Fatehpara of the BJP.
Close contests are also on the cards in Panchmahals and Dahod of eastern Gujarat. Congress has pitted Amul dairy chief Ramshin Parmar against BJP’s sitting MP Prabhatsinh Chauhan in Panchmahal while in neighbouring Dahod, the contest is between sitting Congress MP Prabha Taviyad and BJP MLA Jaswant Bhabhor.
“For the Congress caste equation will play an important role. Wherever they have pitted candidate from numerically dominating caste it is likely to get advantage. Caste equation will always be a factor in elections in Gujarat,” said political observer Vidyut Joshi.
In 2009 Lok Sabha elections BJP had won 15 seats while Congress had bagged 11. Later, during by-elections BJP took up the tally to 17 and Congress was left with only nine seats.