Youth versus experience

It's being billed as the fight between David and Goliath. The battleground is Amreli and the contest is between BJP veteran Purshottam Rupal...

It8217;s being billed as the fight between David and Goliath. The battleground is Amreli and the contest is between BJP veteran Purshottam Rupala 60 and just-out-of-college Paresh Dhanani 24.

President of Amreli8217;s NSUI unit, Dhanani8217;s the youngest candidate in the Assembly elections in the state. His enthusiasm and demeanour have reportedly made him so popular that Rupala, a veteran of three elections and former agriculture minister, seems to have got cold feet. Used to campaigning for other candidates, Rupala8217;s now staying put in Amreli.

And though Rupala may dismiss the Dhanani threat, stating: 8216;8216; Do you think I am scared of a novice? Baccha hai woh He8217;s a kid8217;8217;, his men are wary. 8216;8216;He could upset calculations,8217;8217; they say.

Son of a retired bank employee, Dhanani has no political experience, barring his stint as NSUI Amreli chief since 1999. A commerce graduate, Dhanani says his youth is his plus point. 8216;8216;I feel being a young candidate, voters will give me a chance,8217;8217; he says.

What8217;s more is that he belongs to the dominant Leuva Patel community and also has the backing of diamond-cutters of Amreli settled in Mumbai. He is receiving financial support from Vasant Hari Gajera, the owner of Mumbai-based Laxmi Diamond Exports Ltd, who is considered next to diamond king and film financier Bharat Shah. Interestingly, Gajera8217;s brother, Dhirubhai, is the sitting BJP MLA from Surat.

Dhanani8217;s issues are clear. 8216;8216;I am making lack of proper roads, water shortage and erratic power supply the issues and people seem to agree,8217;8217; he says.

A factor that may well be the clincher for Dhanani is that he8217;s a Leuva Patel. Amreli has about 1.5 lakh voters, 62,000 of them being Leuvas. There are also 12,000 Muslims who have soft corner for the Congress. Sources say if the Leuvas keep caste in mind, the BJP, which has won this seat for the past 27 years, faces a rout.

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But the fact that Rupala has been instrumental in solving the two-decade-old drinking water problem here may help his cause. Early this year, water from Mahi river was brought in through a 700-km pipeline to Amreli.

8216;8216;This is my major achievement and people know it. I have spent all the grants on development of roads and underground gutters,8217;8217; Rupala says.

And what may work against Dhanani is his reputation. Two cases, including one on attempt to murder, are hanging against him.

8216;8216;There are several eve-teasing complaints against him. His friends and he used to often get into trouble outside the Municipal Girls School,8217;8217; a Congress worker says.

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In defence, Dhanani says: 8216;8216;I don8217;t know about eve-teasing complaints but regarding threatening people, as president of NSUI, I had to take up problems of students and sometimes there were small incidents.8217;8217;

The voters don8217;t seem to mind. Mahesh Dave, a college student, says: 8216;8216;Who has a clean image these days? Dhanani is young and seems one of us.8217;8217; Dhirubhai Darji, an elderly employee of Amreli District Co-operative Bank, also feels the youth should be given a chance.

Clearly, the battlelines are drawn.