Battered by defections to BJP, how Congress is rapidly shrinking in Saurashtra-Kutch

Despite winning a clear majority in the 2021 general elections and installing its presidents and vice presidents soon after, the Congress lost power in the Abdasa and Lakhpat taluka panchayats in Kutch district, the Bagasara taluka panchayat in Amreli, the Jamjodhpur and Kalavad taluka panchayats in Jamnagar, and the Vanthali taluka panchayat in Junagadh. The party also lost the Sikka municipality in Jamnagar to the BJP.

In Jamnagar’s Kalavad taluka panchayat, despite being the single-largest party, the Congress failed for a second time to install its president and vice-president after two members skipped the general board meeting. In Bagasara and Jamjodhpur, where the president’s post was reserved for an Other Backward Class (OBC) woman and a Scheduled Caste (SC) woman, respectively, only the Congress had an eligible member in each. But both defected to the BJP and were later elected unopposed. The BJP also won the Bagasara vice-president election by six votes against the Congress’s five, with two Congress members voting for the BJP.

Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil said, “We have taken action against those members who defied the whip of our party. We will seek disqualification of these members (from taluka pa and municipalities). If the competent authority of the state government doesn’t take action, we will move the Gujarat High Court and if that doesn’t help, we shall fight it out till the Supreme Court.”

But the Congress’s district leaders said they were struggling to stem the rot. “It is possible they (Congress members) could be buckling due to threats issued by the BJP or pressure the BJP exerts on their jobs, businesses etc. We try to give tickets to trustworthy workers. How does one test the character of a party worker in such a milieu?” asked Congress Kutch district president Yajuvendrasinh Jadeja.

The loss of the Abdasa and Lakhpat taluka panchayats marked the Congress’ ouster from Kutch. Now, all of its 10 taluka panchayats, seven municipalities, and one district panchayat are in the BJP’s control. The ruling party also holds all six Assembly seats and the Lok Sabha seat in the district.

“By virtue of being in power for so long, today the BJP has sam, dam, dand, bhed (by hook or by crook) … Due to pressure from the government, taluka development officers are not listening even to the elected Congress members of taluka panchayats. On the other hand, BJP workers are getting their work done just by dialling an officer. This makes it difficult for the Congress to retain people’s support,” said Congress’s Bagasara taluka unit president Babu Dudhat.

Atul Rathod, husband of Jamjodhpur taluka panchayat president Jashu Rathod and previously a prominent Congress worker, said they joined the BJP since it was easier to get work done.

Anti-defection law inadequate

Gohil accused the BJP of misusing state powers and said the anti-defection law was inadequate. “People tend to be drawn to the party in power in the state so defections are going to be there. However, unlike the BJP, when the Congress was in power in the state, it did not misuse state powers to engineer defections. The anti-defection law will have to be amended to address the present challenges. Instead of a government officer, the president of a political party should be given powers to ascertain if its members have defied party whip,” he said.

But the BJP has a different take. “The BJP is not forcing these Congress members to switch sides. How will the Congressmen who fought the BJP for 20 or 30 years buckle under the alleged pressure of some BJP leader or an agency such as the Enforcement Directorate? Congress members are defecting as they are disillusioned by their party leaders who select only their relatives and friends for important posts. In such a situation, as an Opposition, we are obliged to seize power should an opportunity arise,” said state BJP vice president Bharat Boghra.