Koli community to play vital role in new constituency of Navsari

The diamond industry is also well-developed in Navsari. The majority of the diamond cutters and polishers are from Saurashtra.

The people residing in the villages on the coastline of the Arabian Sea are engaged in fishing. Some also work as helpers in ports.

Navsari is the birthplace of Jamshetji Tata. C D Patel from Navsari had become the deputy chief minister during Chiman Patel’s tenure. The majority of the people here belong to the Koli and the Halpati community.

The Koli community will play an important role in the elections. Earlier,the Congress party had declared a woman Koli candidate,Bhavna Patel,a science graduate and a housewife by profession. But later the ticket was given to a non-Koli candidate. The Koli community people are now unhappy with the Congress,but the party leaders are trying to convince them to vote for them. The BJP has fielded C R Patil,who had gained infamy following his involvement in the co-operative bank scam in the region.

The issues
Navsari regularly faces flood like situation as there is no proper sanitation and storm water discharge system. During heavy rains,the Purna river overflows and water enters the town.

The roads in the town are narrow and no development work has been done till date. Many areas also face shortage of drinking water.

The jobless diamond polishers,who once worked in factories in Surat,are now shifting base to their native place in Saurashtra.

Many fishermen who worked on trawlers off the Saurashtra coast are also languishing in jails in Pakistan for illegally fishing in Pakistani waters. But the state fisheries department has not given any compensation to these people.

The candidates
The candidates of the BJP and the Congress,who are contesting from the Navsari Parliamentary seat,have their home base in Surat.

BJP candidate C R Patil is Marathi speaking,while his Congress counterpart,Dhansukh Rajput,is from Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier,Kashiram Rana was contesting from the BJP from the Surat seat. Navsari was then included in Surat. The Congress party ticket was given to Koli candidate Chandrawadan Pithawala. Rana won the election,while Pithawala lost.

The Koli community,which numbers more than 1.50 lakh,are unhappy with the Congress party after the higher ups cancelled the ticket of the Koli candidate.

The two candidates have no business or working offices in Navsari.

C R Patil was earlier serving with the police as a constable,but left his job. Though he is contesting any election for the first time,he has held many key posts in the BJP,due to his good influence. Some of the posts were that of vice-president of Surat city BJP and treasurer of BJP. He was earlier the president of both GIDC Sachin and GACL.

Congress Candidate Dhansukh Rajput,a party loyalist,had worked on different posts like a member of the Surat Municipal School Board,Vice president of Surat district Congress committee,and General Secretary of the Congress party. At present,he is the acting Municipal Councillor of Udhna ward.