Poll heat reaches fever pitch in Vav as bypoll nears

In the 2022 elections, Geniben had defeated BJP’s Rekha Chaudhary by implicit 30,000 votes.

On Thursday, Gujarat BJP president and Union Minister for Jal Shakti C R Paatil visited Banaskantha district’s Bhabhar country and held a gathering with apical enactment workers portion taking banal of predetermination preparations. The BJP has fixed the work of the 4 talukas —Vav, Suigam, Bhabhar and portion of Santalpur —  nether the Vav constituency to 4 ministers: Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi, Minister of State for Panchayat and Agriculture Bachubhai Khabad, Cabinet Ministers Kunvarjibhai Bavaliya (Water Resources and Water Supply) and Balvantsinh Rajput (Industries and Labour and Employment).

Congress, BJP commercialized charges

Senior Congress leaders, including AICC wide caput Mukul Wasnik, MLA Jignesh Mevani, Shaktisinh Gohil and Amit Chavda connected Thursday addressed a mahasammelan – a mega gathering – successful Vav successful enactment of their campaigner Gulabsinh Rajput and appealed to the voters to “uproot BJP”. Even arsenic MP Geniben Thakor has been aggressively campaigning for the past respective days, the enactment has planned aggregate rallies this week.

Addressing the Dalit mahasabha successful enactment of enactment campaigner Gulabsinh Rajput successful Vav, All India Congress Committee (AICC) wide caput Mukul Wasnik connected Thursday said that the Congress is warring for justice. “Rahul Gandhi went to Nagpur (Maharashtra) for the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan… we person gathered present to support the Constitution. (Even though) India is expected to beryllium autarkic but the country’s independency volition hap now,” helium asserted, referring to the party’s run for the Maharashtra elections.

In a veiled excavation astatine the BJP, Wasnik said, “The puppets are dancing astatine the behest of the authorities and insulting MLA Jignesh Mevani”.

“The Congress authorities worked to alteration the lives of crores of people, including warring for their rights to employment, education, health, nutrient security, information, which the radical are realising contiguous arsenic the BJP authorities is taking distant these rights,” Wasnik said.

During the rally, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee president Shaktisinh Gohil accused the BJP authorities for having an ‘anit-people’ mindset. “All sections of the nine were represented successful the erstwhile Congress governments. BJP’s mindset is anti-people. Fearing that a tribal lad sitting successful a hut and practicing archery volition go smarter than the Kauravas and Pandavas, Dronacharya asked Eklavya to springiness his thumb successful Gurudakshina. BJP has the aforesaid mindset. Lord Ram tin devour the ber (jujube fruit) from Shabari but BJP radical cannot adjacent portion h2o from Dalit’s hands. That is simply a fact. BJP tin springiness gauchar onshore to businessmen but cannot springiness onshore to Dalit workplace labourers,” helium alleged.

Meanwhile, Congress person Amit Chavda claimed that the BJP authorities is “continuously doing injustice” to people. “It is moving to onslaught people’s rights. The Congress has ever been warring for the justness of the oppressed including Dalits, tribals, Baxipanch and volition proceed to combat successful the aboriginal arsenic well,” Chavda said. Attacking the Opposition, Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani said that the BJP and RSS indulge “in authorities of hatred and hatred the Constitution”. “They are adopting a argumentation to harm the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Baxipanch the most. I americium appealing to Dalits to ballot for Congress and uproot the BJP”.

“On December 6, Dalits volition scope Mahisagar demanding collector’s suspension and proceed our protestation till this request is met,” Mevani said.

In October past week, Mevani had sought an FIR against Mahisagar territory collector Neha Kumari for allegedly making anti-Dalit remarks during a authorities event. Assuring that the Congress volition enactment arsenic a shield wherever determination is injustice to the Dalit community, Banaskantha MP Geniben Thakor appealed to radical to marque Gulabsinh triumph with a immense majority.

Reacting to Congress’s accusations Gujarat BJP media convener Yagnesh Dave portion speaking with The Indian Express refuted these claims and countered it stating that the enactment that is talking astir caste based census is attempting to contention the predetermination connected caste based politics.

“What other tin you expect from Congress that is talking astir caste based census. They are trying to disagreement voters connected the ground of caste and contention predetermination connected these lines. In Gujarat it has ne'er been the lawsuit of caste based elections,” Yagnesh Dave said.

Referring to Wasnik’s comments connected the Constitution, Dave said, “Mukul Wasnik being the nationalist person it does not suit him. It is Congress supported authorities successful Jammu and Kashmir that is talking astir revoking the abrogation of nonfiction 370. They are violating Constitution not the BJP.”

Triangular contest

Even arsenic the bypoll is being viewed arsenic a contention predominantly betwixt Congress campaigner Gulabsinh Rajput and BJP’s Swarupji Thakor, insiders said that the ruling enactment is acrophobic astir erstwhile MLA Mavji Patel who is contesting a an autarkic eating into the BJP’s ballot stock among the Chaudhary community.

Terming Mavjibhai Patel “insignificant” successful this by-election, Khabad said, “Mavjibhai mightiness beryllium talking astir the assemblage but the information is that the younker are with the government. An autarkic campaigner volition not impact votes of immoderate assemblage for that matter.” Mavji, who has a sizeable power implicit the Chaudhary community, was elected to Janata Dal from Vav-Tharad spot successful 1990. According to the erstwhile MLA, helium is contesting independently based connected his supporters’ request arsenic the “two youngsters (BJP and Congress candidates) are not experienced”.

Old trends

The bypolls to the assembly seats successful Banaskantha person seen a inclination wherever the enactment — leaders from which are elected to the Lok Sabha — loses successful the by-election. Case successful constituent is the 2009 Lok Sabha predetermination betwixt BJP’s Haribhai Chaudhary and Congress person precocious Mukesh Gadhavi, which Congress won. The aforesaid year, BJP’s Parthibhai Bhatol defeated Congress person Nashirbhai Umatiya successful the Danta bypoll seat. Similarly, successful 2014 aft BJP’s Liladhar Vaghela won the Patan Lok Sabha predetermination and Deesa assembly spot got vacant, Govabhai Rabari from Congress defeated BJP’s Lebji Thakur successful the by-election.

In 2019, Parbat Patel was elected to Lok Sabha aft defeating Congress person Perth Bhatol and the Tharad assembly spot became vacant. Later, Congress person Gulabsinh Rajput won the Tharad bypoll defeating Jivrajbhai Chaudhary of BJP.

Vav constituency has astir 3.1 lakh votes. Of these, the Thakors comprise 30 per cent votes, followed by Chaudhary-Patel assemblage constituting astir 17 per cent, Dalits astatine 12 per cent and Brahmins and Rabaris 9 per cent each among others.

(With PTI inputs)