300 Muslims, including Congress workers, join BJP in Bharuch

In a first, BJP flags were also hung at the entry gate of Bambusar village, sources said. The new members were from Bambusar, Valediya, Valej, Segwa, Kahan, Chiphon, Luvara, Janod Samrod, Kothi villages. “BJP’s motto is Sauno Saath, Sauno Vikas ane Sauno Vishwas. We are ready to do development work if anybody approaches us,” Rana added.

Bharuch district has five assembly seats—Vagra, Bharuch, Ankleshwar, Jhagadia, and Jambusar, none represented by Muslims. While Congress candidate Sanjaybhai Solanki won from Jambusar in the 2017 assembly election, BTP (Bhartiya Tribal Party) candidate Chhotu Vasava won from Jhagadia, and BJP’s Ishwar Patel, Dushyant Patel and Arunsinh Rana won from Ankleshwar, Bharuch and Vagra seats respectively.

Bharuch Congress president Parimalsinh Rana said, “We have found that those who have joined the BJP are Congress workers. We are trying to figure out what is the reason behind it. We have set up a team in the district Congress committee who will listen to the issues of the Congress workers and we will come up with some solutions.”

“Those who joined the BJP Tuesday also include Kahan village sarpanch Mubarak Bodar, ex-sarpanch of Machh village Yacoob Kala and deputy sarpanch of Bambusar Hafiz Farid,” Gulambhai Natha, who has been the sarpanch of Segwa village near Bambusar for the past 15 years, said. “All these leaders have left the Congress to join the BJP with their supporters. They were Congress voters for long,” he said.

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According to Natha, the leaders decided to join the BJP’s efforts during the Covid pandemic. “There are over 2,500 Muslim voters in our village. It was BJP’s Salim Khan Pathan, an elected member of the district panchayat, along with Vagra BJP MLA Arunsinh Rana, who had set up a medical home in our village with two doctors to treat the Covid patients. They even made arrangements for oxygen. The Congress leaders only visit our village to get votes. During Covid, they never spoke to us,” Natha alleged. Around 35 residents from the village had succumbed to Covid during the first wave.

He added that various road works to connect villages were carried out under Rana. “Rana had also sent his team to get Ayushman cards of all the villagers and income proof documents were also made and given. These are all done by BJP leaders. When Congress leaders come to seek votes, we will not allow them to enter our village,” he said.