Down, not out

Sitting in a rehabilitation camp at Modasa town in Sabarkantha district, Amina Bibi recoils at the thought of the night when she lost seven of her family. 8220;They simply hacked whoever came in their way,8221; she says.

Pandarvada village in neighbouring Panchmahals had reported one of the worst massacres of 20028212;26 people of the minority community were killed on March 1. It8217;s been five years since Amina Bibi was driven out of her Pandarvada home. 8220;I have given up hopes of justice. Tarikh pe tarikh pad rahi hai We keep getting new dates for court hearings. I am too scared to go back to my village,8221; she says. But she isn8217;t scared to vote. 8220;I don8217;t care which government comes to power as long as it is not the BJP. I will vote for the Congress.8221;

Pandarvada is part of Lunavada assembly constituency. In 2002, the BJP, riding the Hindutva wave, had bagged the seat with party candidate Kalubhai Maliwad using the burning Sabarmati Express as a backdrop in his campaign posters. This time, he is cautious, after some of his supporters were convicted in a few riot cases.

Maliwad probably sensed the mood of the voters in the region. Jaising Ghori, a local tribal, says, 8220;Tribals feel they were used by the VHP. Over 70 per cent support the Congress now. The BJP will lose both Lunavada and the neighbouring Santrampur seats.8221;