Failed promises may haunt BJP

LOK SABHA CONSTITUENCY WATCH

It may not be feel good for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the largest tribal constituency of Gujarat. Its sitting member of Parliament (MP) Babubhai Katara has not fulfilled the promises "" construction of the Chakalia railway station (and ensuring trains stop there) and ensuring adequate water supply "" made in the last Lok Sabha elections.

Dahod, a scheduled tribe dominated Lok Sabha constituency in eastern Gujarat, will witness a multi-cornered contest this time.

The Congress has fielded Prabha Taviad and veteran Congress leader Somji Damor is contesting on Mohan Delker's Bhartiya Nav Shakti Party's (BNP) ticket. The Communist Party of India (CPI) has fielded Singji Katara.

Damor had been winning all elections from this seat since 1977 on a Congress ticket. In the last elections (in 1999) he was defeated by the BJP's Babubhai Katara. Damor was denied the ticket by the Congress and he joined the BNP.

The availability of water is an important issue here. Both the Congress and the BNP are attacking the BJP for having done little to resolve the water problem. BJP is also highlighting on the much-hyped 'Sujalam Sufalam' scheme which promises water in every field.

Prabha Taviad has two separate gameplans for the BJP and the BNP. She is highlighting the government's failure on the water front and Damor's liquor business. Liquor business is prohibited in Gujarat and the Congress alleges that Damor runs a flourishing liquor business in Dahod.

Katara hopes to capitalise on the Narmada pipe line project sanctioned by the state government for the Dahod district, apart from the Sujalam Sufalam scheme. He has assured water supply from the Kadana and Panam dams for the district.

Damor has blamed the Congress for its failure to provide water from the Panam and Kadana dams. "I had been demanding water from the Congress for 30 years, but they diverted the water to Kheda and Anand and ignored our district," he says.

The Dahod parliamentary constituency comprises Santrampur, Jalod, Limdi, Dahod, Limkheda, Deogadhbaria and Randhikpur Assembly constituencies. Barring Santrampur and Dahod, the BJP won all the tribal-reserved seats with huge margins in the last Assembly elections.

The constituency has an electorate of over 12 lakh and these would exercise their franchise in 1157 polling stations on April 20. Ninety eight per cent of the population are tribals. There are 50,000 Muslims (mainly of the Bohra community) and 2 per cent Patels.

All the taluka and the district panchayats are controlled by the Congress. However, the exit of Damor may hurt the party's chances.

In 1989 Somji Damor defeated Suman Bhabhor of the BJP by 27759 votes. In 1991, he again defeated Bhabhor by 49709 votes.

In 1996, Damor again defeated Bhabhor by 67582 votes and in 1998 he defeated Tersinh Damor of the BJP by over a lakh votes. But in 1999, Damor lost to Babubhai Katara by a margin of 32431 votes.