BJP bully146;s big break

Nobody dares to speak of Jayanti Rathwa unless it is strictly on condition of anonymity...

Nobody dares to speak of Jayanti Rathwa unless it is strictly on condition of anonymity. Not the police, who say if Rathwa hasn8217;t been convicted in any of the cases he is accused of, it8217;s because he has his connections in the right places. Not the shopkeepers in the tribal dominated Pavi-Jetpur, who say they are too frightened to look him in the eye.

Rathwa, the BJP8217;s pick for the tribal-dominated Pavi-Jetpur constituency in Vadodara district, is notorious for his strong-arm tactics, particularly during elections. He is accused in 17 cases of 8216;violent crimes8217; in the region. He has been booked for arson, dacoity and rioting during the 2002 riots in Kwant and Pavi-Jetpur. However, Rathwa has never been convicted.

A policeman said while Rathwa engineered riots across the region in 2002, he was also involved in several incidents. Between 2003 and 2007, Rathwa was accused of attempting to murder, kidnapping, rioting, robbery and extortion.

A shopkeeper, who too didn8217;t wanted to be named, said Rathwa had on several occasions threatened voters, who then preferred to stay out of Pavi-Jetpur during elections rather than face his wrath.

The BJP8217;s choice of Rathwa raised several eyebrows, particularly since sitting MLA Vechat Baria, who defeated the Congress8217;s six-time winner Mohansinh Rathwa, was denied a ticket. Rathwa has been running his network through extorting for several years now.

Lalsinh Rathwa, a local oil merchant in Pavi-Jetpur, said of Rathwa, 8220;He just walks in and takes whatever he needs, sometimes without even talking to me. I am just too scared to even look him in the eye.8221;

His nomination has even the Congress worried as many of its workers are scared of venturing into the Rathwa-controlled southern parts of Pavi-Jetpur.

Jayanti Rathwa BJP

CRIME FILE

8226;Accused in 17 cases of 8216;violent crimes8217;

8226;Booked for arson, dacoity and rioting during the 2002 riots

His assets

Cash: Rs 20,000 wife: Rs 10,000

Bank deposits: Rs 1,313

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Vehicles: Mahindra Jeep worth Rs 4 lakh and motorcycle worth Rs 22,000

Gold: Rs 20,000 wife: Rs 30,000

Land: In Pavi-Jetpur worth Rs 24,000