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Journalism of Courage
Question: Having nearly reached the last leg of campaigning, how are you placed?
Isudan Gadhvi: I’m campaigning across the state. We’re receiving terrific responses from people across Gujarat. It’s almost as if people themselves are fighting the polls on our behalf.
Q: Realistically, how many seats do you expect to win? You must have identified some constituencies where you are strong.
IG: Yes, we have. And we are working on it. But I want to reiterate that the results will be great for us.
Q: The latest perception is that AAP has lost its initial momentum.
IG: That is far from the truth. In fact, our internal surveys show that we have crossed the BJP in terms of vote share in the last three days. We are in a position to form the government. We have distributed at least 10,000 guarantee cards in every constituency in the last one week. In Khambhaliya, we have distributed 46,000 cards. Every card will cover at least two people, if not more.
Q: Do you expect a rise in vote share to translate into seats?
IG: See, after touching a vote share of around 24 per cent, one starts getting seats. A 26 per cent vote share may result in 15 to 20 seats. A party with 30 per cent vote share gets up to 50 seats. Currently, we have a vote share of 38 per cent, while the BJP is trailing with 36. The Congress has a share of around 23 per cent.
Q: In Gujarat, the Congress vote share has never been below 30 per cent, even though it lost to the BJP over the years. Will it change this time?
IG: The Congress is an old party. So far, there were only two political players in Gujarat. The Congress has a base of supporters and their families. The share of such voters will not be over 9 per cent. But beyond that, they don’t have voters as such. So far, people had to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea. The AAP has gained momentum because the BJP is not popular at all. Had the Congress wanted, it could have formed the government in 2017. But it was not seen as the alternative.
Q: The Congress had come really close to capturing power.
IG: The Congress was quite strong in 2017. The reason was that people were tired of the BJP. But the Congress could not convert that into seats.
Q: They also had the Patidar movement as a catalyst.
IG: The Congress always bagged 60-62 seats. It went up to 77 due to the Patidar Andolan and the Dalit Movement (after the Una flogging incident), among others.
Q: There is no such people’s movement in Gujarat this time.
IG: This time there is no movement as such, but the anti-incumbency is stronger.
Q: Your seat Khambhaliya is dominated by people of the Ahir caste, while you are a Gadhvi, who are far fewer in numbers. Would that be a hurdle?
IG: When AAP enters the field, such factors do not matter. Secondly, I am a leader of farmers. This seat belongs to farmers. We will win it by a big margin. Ahirs will also support me. I am going across the villages and receiving love.
Q: Your family was against you joining politics.
IG: They did not know I was joining politics. They felt bad when I resigned (as an editor). They pointed out how our family never even had a sarpanch. They felt politics is a dirty business. It took me two days to convince them. I told them I have another 20-25 years ahead of me, during which I want to serve the people. They kept resisting, because I was quitting at the peak of my career.
Q: What was your primary motivation behind entering politics?
IG: No longer could I sit by helplessly, as the poor and the marginalised suffer. I felt I could not live for myself anymore. By the grace of God, I have every material comfort. But people expected me to deliver things I could not, while being in journalism. I felt it was time.
Q: Usually, the BJP campaigns pick up in the last leg as PM Modi and other senior leaders start campaigning aggressively.
IG: They will not be able to do anything. We are not the Congress. This is Isudan Gadhvi, Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party. We have forced Narendra Modi to enter schools. We set the narrative in Gujarat now.
