Poll heat reaches fever pitch in Vav as bypoll nears

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

On Thursday, Gujarat BJP president and Union Minister for Jal Shakti C R Paatil visited Banaskantha district’s Bhabhar area and held a meeting with top party workers while taking stock of election preparations. The BJP has given the responsibility of the four talukas —Vav, Suigam, Bhabhar and part of Santalpur —  under the Vav constituency to four 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 trade charges

Senior Congress leaders, including AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, MLA Jignesh Mevani, Shaktisinh Gohil and Amit Chavda on Thursday addressed a mahasammelan – a mega gathering – in Vav in support of their candidate Gulabsinh Rajput and appealed to the voters to “uproot BJP”. Even as MP Geniben Thakor has been aggressively campaigning for the last several days, the party has planned multiple rallies this week.

Addressing the Dalit mahasabha in support of party candidate Gulabsinh Rajput in Vav, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Mukul Wasnik on Thursday said that the Congress is fighting for justice. “Rahul Gandhi went to Nagpur (Maharashtra) for the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan… we have gathered here to defend the Constitution. (Even though) India is supposed to be independent but the country’s independence will happen now,” he asserted, referring to the party’s campaign for the Maharashtra elections.

In a veiled dig at the BJP, Wasnik said, “The puppets are dancing at the behest of the government and insulting MLA Jignesh Mevani”.

“The Congress government worked to change the lives of crores of people, including fighting for their rights to employment, education, health, food security, information, which the people are realising today as the BJP government is taking away these rights,” Wasnik said.

During the rally, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee president Shaktisinh Gohil accused the BJP government for having an ‘anit-people’ mindset. “All sections of the society were represented in the previous Congress governments. BJP’s mindset is anti-people. Fearing that a tribal son sitting in a hut and practicing archery will become smarter than the Kauravas and Pandavas, Dronacharya asked Eklavya to give his thumb in Gurudakshina. BJP has the same mindset. Lord Ram can eat the ber (jujube fruit) from Shabari but BJP people cannot even drink water from Dalit’s hands. That is a fact. BJP can give gauchar land to businessmen but cannot give land to Dalit farm labourers,” he alleged.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Amit Chavda claimed that the BJP government is “continuously doing injustice” to people. “It is working to attack people’s rights. The Congress has always been fighting for the justice of the oppressed including Dalits, tribals, Baxipanch and will continue to fight in the future as well,” Chavda said. Attacking the Opposition, Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani said that the BJP and RSS indulge “in politics of hate and hate the Constitution”. “They are adopting a policy to harm the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Baxipanch the most. I am appealing to Dalits to vote for Congress and uproot the BJP”.

“On December 6, Dalits will reach Mahisagar demanding collector’s suspension and continue our protest till this demand is met,” Mevani said.

In October last week, Mevani had sought an FIR against Mahisagar district collector Neha Kumari for allegedly making anti-Dalit remarks during a government event. Assuring that the Congress will work as a shield wherever there is injustice to the Dalit community, Banaskantha MP Geniben Thakor appealed to people to make Gulabsinh win with a huge majority.

Reacting to Congress’s accusations Gujarat BJP media convener Yagnesh Dave while speaking with The Indian Express refuted these claims and countered it stating that the party that is talking about caste based census is attempting to contest the election on caste based politics.

“What else can you expect from Congress that is talking about caste based census. They are trying to divide voters on the basis of caste and contest election on these lines. In Gujarat it has never been the case of caste based elections,” Yagnesh Dave said.

Referring to Wasnik’s comments on the Constitution, Dave said, “Mukul Wasnik being the national leader it does not suit him. It is Congress supported government in Jammu and Kashmir that is talking about revoking the abrogation of article 370. They are violating Constitution not the BJP.”

Triangular contest

Even as the bypoll is being viewed as a contest predominantly between Congress candidate Gulabsinh Rajput and BJP’s Swarupji Thakor, insiders said that the ruling party is concerned about former MLA Mavji Patel who is contesting a an independent eating into the BJP’s vote share among the Chaudhary community.

Terming Mavjibhai Patel “insignificant” in this by-election, Khabad said, “Mavjibhai might be talking about the community but the truth is that the youth are with the government. An independent candidate will not affect votes of any community for that matter.” Mavji, who has a considerable influence over the Chaudhary community, was elected to Janata Dal from Vav-Tharad seat in 1990. According to the former MLA, he is contesting independently based on his supporters’ demand as the “two youngsters (BJP and Congress candidates) are not experienced”.

Old trends

The bypolls to the assembly seats in Banaskantha have seen a trend where the party — leaders from which are elected to the Lok Sabha — loses in the by-election. Case in point is the 2009 Lok Sabha election between BJP’s Haribhai Chaudhary and Congress leader late Mukesh Gadhavi, which Congress won. The same year, BJP’s Parthibhai Bhatol defeated Congress leader Nashirbhai Umatiya in the Danta bypoll seat. Similarly, in 2014 after BJP’s Liladhar Vaghela won the Patan Lok Sabha election and Deesa assembly seat got vacant, Govabhai Rabari from Congress defeated BJP’s Lebji Thakur in the by-election.

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

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

(With PTI inputs)