Confident BJP intent on widening margin

If only funds were the only problem for the party! The Congress8217;s headaches, in fact, began the day the central leadership gave the go-ahead to Rupin Patchigar8217;s nomination. 8220;It was clear from the opposition to his candidature that partymen would not work whole-heartedly for Patchigar, whom they see as an outsider8221;, says lone Congress councillor Bhupendra Solanki.

8220;They pretend to be supporting him, but we know that8217;s only a ploy to pull the wool over the eyes of the candidate and the party leadership.8221;That is not to say that it was all smooth sailing for the BJP. It received a nasty jolt when the diamond industry threatened to boycott the polls. But a shrewd Rana stepped in to cool down temperatures. 8220;I told them we would meet after the elections, when we can do whatever needs to be done8221;, says Rana.

Notwithstanding the pro-BJP mood of the constituency, some Congressmen are optimistic about the party8217;s chances. Former MLA Babubhai Patel says confidently, 8220;The Congress is doing well in the 94 villages of Olpad taluka. The BJP raised their expectations, but wasn8217;t able to fulfill them. This8217;ll obviously benefit us.8221;

Ground reality, however, seems to tell another story. One major factor responsible for the low morale of Congress workers is the non-availability of any national leader for the local campaign. Asked why no high-profile party leader had come to Surat for electioneering, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee secretary Rizwan Osmani says, 8220;Only GPCC president C D Patel can answer that.8221;

City Congress chief Pratap Kantharia, however, admits candidly that they didn8217;t have enough resources to organise a public meeting for chief campaigner Sonia Gandhi. 8220;Any public meeting she addresses costs Rs 15 lakhs at least. The local party unit has to bear the costs. We simply didn8217;t have that kind of money8221;, says Kantharia.

For all that, Osmani believes the Congress has a head-start. 8220;It8217;s very simple8221;, he explains. 8220;Of the 19,52,000 voters, 6 lakh are Kodi Patels, 4 lakh are Muslims and 5 lakhs are slum-dwellers Dalits who are committed Congress voters.8221;

Idris Azam Khan, a Congress leader, too believes Muslim votes are firmly with his party. 8220;No Muslim will ever vote for the BJP. They may join it, but they won8217;t vote for it.8221;

But Asad Kalyani, an NSUI leader, feels that though Patchigar may win over the middle-class and the white-collar workers, he will not affect the BJP8217;s traditional vote-bank. Noted writer Bhagwati Kumar Sharma echoes the sentiment, maintaining, 8220;Rana has the upper hand. His long political career will stand him in good stead. Besides, despite the Hajuria-Khajuria divide, the BJP is putting up a united show, unlike the Congress.8221;

The Congress disunity is apparent even to those not involved in politics. 8220;Though the Congress has a good candidate, he is not supported even by Congress workers8221;, says Mohammed Nayeem, who runs a tyre service centre. 8220;The Congress has already accepted defeat8221;, believes Ravindra Dholabhai, a businessman. 8220;That8217;s why the missionary zeal is missing.8221;

Even party supporters are pessimistic about the Congress8217;s chances. 8220;I8217;d like the Congress to win, but I know that8217;s not possible8221;, says Salim, a paan vendor. In the minds of the electorate, the battle has already been fought.