Even as the Congress was spearheading a campaign by the tribal community against the Par-Tapi-Narmada (PTN) river-linking project in an attempt to win back the tribals, the Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP) founded by tribal leader and MLA Chhotubhai Vasava, a former ally of the Congress, is considering an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Vasava’s son and BTP president Mahesh Vasava, who is an MLA from Dediapada, met Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal at his residence in Delhi on Sunday, fanning speculations of an alliance ahead of the assembly elections due in December this year. The meeting comes days after former BTP vice president Rajesh Vasava alias Raj Vasava joined the Congress. A day after the Congress organised a rally of tribals in Gandhinagar in protest against the PTN project on March 25, AAP state chief Gopal Italia said that the party was in talks with BTP. Senior AAP leader Isudan Gadhvi said in a statement, “Three-four days ago, we met Chhotubhai and Maheshbhai. they told us that both Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress have done nothing for the Adivasi community. So after some contemplation, we met Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi.” “Mahesh Vasava spoke to Kejriwal and presented before him some of the issues faced by the Adivasi community. Kejriwal asked us to learn more about tribal society in detail,” it added. Kejriwal, who is expected to be in Gujarat on April 2 for a rally, is likely to meet Chhotubhai when the two are likely to discuss seat-sharing and other issues, said Mahesh. Last week, AAP leaders, including Arjun Rathva, Italia and Gadhvi, met Chhotubhai and proposed an alliance in the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections. The AAP saw its first electoral victory in Gujarat when it won 27 of 120 seats in the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), largely because of Patidar votes, and ended up decimating the Congress from the opposition. Buoyed by its victory in the Punjab assembly elections, AAP plans to contest all seats in Gujarat. While Chhotubhai and his son are the only BTP MLAs in the Gujarat Assembly, from Jhagadia constituency in Bharuch and Dediapada in Narmada respectively, the party has two MLAs in Rajasthan and rules five tehsils in the state. After meeting Kejriwal, for nearly an hour on Sunday, on Monday, Mahesh Vasava visited government hospitals and schools in Delhi. “They (AAP) has assured us all cooperation and our meeting went well. There are 27 Scheduled Tribe seats in Gujarat and tribals votes are good in numbers on 51 seats. Kejriwal assured us all the support for the development and upliftment of tribals in Gujarat,” Mahesh told The Indian Express. In 2017, the Congress had a seat sharing alliance with the BTP, giving it six seats of which two were won by the Vasavas. Of the 27 reserved ST seats, Congress won 15 and BTP two, while one went to an independent and the rest went to the BJP. Earlier that year, it is believed that Chhotubhai’s vote as the lone Janata Dal (U) MLA in the Gujarat assembly ensured victory for the late Congress MP Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha. However, by the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, this alliance broke as the Congress refused to ally with the BTP. Last year, in the local body elections, BTP had a seat sharing alliance with All-India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). Mahesh said, “Kerjiwal will visit Gujarat on April 2. after a roadshow, he is expected to meet Chhotubhai who will take the final call.” Detailing about the party’s coalition with AMIM in local elections last year, Vasava said, “BTP has two MLAs in Rajasthan where we rule five taluka panchayats. If a coalition is done with AAP, we will extend support in Rajasthan and Maharashtra elections as well. Our party is a tribal party and we have our reach to other states.”
