26-0 hat-trick in Gujarat? BJP upbeat but Congress sees opening

Nivedita Mookerji, who visited Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat, and industrial hubs Dholera and Sanand, sums up the mood in Gujarat ahead of the May 7 polls

Criss-crossing more than 750 kilometres of Gujarat by road, from Surat to Rajkot, threw up a range of cuisine options, as well as desserts and beverages to keep the temperature down. During a five-day trip to report from ground zero, the state with the longest coastline offered a glimpse into some of the other things that it’s best known for — temples, architecture, sculpture, handicraft, and business hubs focused on textile to diamond, pharmaceuticals to advanced manufacturing.  
 

In that setting, Gujarat, the home state of the top two in the Union government — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah — has not lost even a single seat in the last two Lok Sabha elections. The question this time is whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would repeat the 2014 and 2019 success in 2024 and win all 26 seats. Even before the campaigning took off in a meaningful manner, the question changed a bit: Will the BJP be able to retain all 25 seats? The Surat seat had already gone to Mukesh Dalal of the BJP even before the polls after a controversial disqualification of the Congress candidate and the withdrawal of all others in the fray.

 

 

Although Surat, a traditional hub for textile and diamond traders, would not have an election, the neighbouring Navsari (called the twin city of Surat) and Bardoli are the two Lok Sabha constituencies where Surat will have some play. 

When asked about expectations in the election season, Savji Dhanji Dholakia, a famous diamantaire in Surat, told Business Standard that the diamond industry is not looking for anything from the next government. Dholakia is, however, betting on the BJP’s return to power. At another diamond hub, Shreyans Dholakia, who’s a young entrepreneur and brand custodian at Shree Ramkrishna Exports, explained that the diamond industry for decades has not been in the spotlight during elections because it’s mostly dependent on exports. He pointed out that the diamond industry does not have any homegrown technology provider and that’s a missing link. “Also, we are yet to catch up in real jewellery designing.’’
 

In textile, traders in cities, such as Surat and Vadodara, have raised concerns with the Union government on a series of quality control orders (QCOs) that bar Chinese yarn from coming into India. Due to a shortage of yarns, stability in price and quality has gone for a toss, representatives of the textile industry have complained. Another worry is that MSMEs in the textile sector don’t have any benefits, such as PLI (production-linked incentive).
 

At Rajkot’s famous Bangdi market, a little distance away from the quiet Gandhi Museum, Vimal Mehta, a shopkeeper, wants the tax burden to be reduced including income tax and goods and services tax. Another shop owner, selling wedding ware, said he has not seen brisk business in many months. At a large hotel in Vadodara, a front desk executive said: “This is a dull election. There’s no interest in it.’’
 

A round of Ahmedabad’s Law Garden Night Market, known for fashion garments and street food, revealed indifference towards elections. ‘’I don’t want to cast a vote and make anybody win. They are all the same,’’ an ice cream seller said with anger.

Another refused to get into any conversation, saying, “Should I worry about the rising prices or voting? I have nothing to do with it.’’ At the ambitious manufacturing hubs, Sanand and Dholera, targets and challenges are being discussed simultaneously. While international and Indian companies are waiting their turn to set up factories in Sanand, some 22 km away from Ahmedabad, an executive pointed out that workers were in short supply causing much worry. Dholera, a greenfield project, is waiting for the international airport, railway links and highway to come up before the site gets populated, officials said. All the above voices may be representing the business mood across Gujarat, but to the question about whether the BJP would be able to win all the seats in Gujarat, the overwhelming answer was: “Yes, the BJP will be back.’’
 

Despite the indifference towards election, everyone seemed to be aware that the BJP has had to face some rough weather this election season in the state. It all started with a comment made by Union Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries Parshottam Rupala, the BJP candidate from Rajkot. He had said that erstwhile maharajas had succumbed to the persecutions of foreign rulers including the British, triggering an agitation by Rajputs and Kshatriyas in the Saurashtra region that includes Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Bhavnagar. The Anand constituency witnessed protests.
 

Will there be an upset because of the comment? Rupala, who was a Rajya Sabha member and is contesting Lok Sabha elections for the first time, told Business Standard that the on-ground reality was quite different and that the BJP would retain all 26 seats in Gujarat. He, however, expressed regret for his earlier comment. Business Standard contacted former Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani for his views on the controversial remarks that angered the Rajputs. “People here will vote in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and overlook what a candidate may have said,’’ Rupani said. Stressing that there would be no upset in these elections, the former CM said: “Gujarat is with Modiji. For development and progress, he’s the only answer.’’ According to him, the Congress cadre is not visible in campaigning. “They are nowhere.’’ On the other hand, Mukul Wasnik, Congress general secretary in charge of Gujarat, told this reporter that his party is placed quite well. Wasnik is batting for “at least 10 seats in Gujarat for the Congress’’.
 

There are about 150,000 Rajput voters out of a total of 2.3 million in Rajkot, which is a BJP bastion. Apart from Rajputs, Patidars, too, may have a say. Both BJP and Congress candidates (Rupala and Pareshbhai Dhanani) belong to the Patidar community from Amreli district. 
 

Amid a somewhat heated political scene, the Gujarat campaigning wrapped up with bike rallies by both the BJP and Congress on Sunday. Over to the voters now in the land of Mahatma Gandhi.