Real test for BJP lab

As Gajera and Vanani fight it out, the real tussle is between the money-rich diamond traders and the migrant Leuva Patidars of Saurashtra. At the root of this tussle is the fact that Narendra Modi dislodged Keshubhai Patel, the Patidar patriarch, in 2001 though the Patidars form the backbone of the BJP8217;s march to power in Gujarat.

But Gajera knows how to use this to make an emotional appeal to voters. 8220;The hurt is real and strong on the ground,8221; says Vasant Gajera.

Gajera won the 2002 election on a BJP ticket by a margin of 12,518 votes. Of the 2,04,937 votes in Surat North this election, his home district Amreli accounts for 80 per cent of the 48,000 Patidar votes. Gajera is also assured of the 16,000 Muslim votes that go to the Congress.

As if that wasn8217;t enough, Keshubhai Patel publicly blessed the Gajera brothers at their residence. If Vanani and the BJP still manage an upset, it might seal Gujarat for Narendra Modi for the next 10 years.