Rivaba Jadeja is dressed in a teal-coloured saree and sneakers for her padyatra on Saturday in Gujarat’s Jamnagar North constituency, where she is hoping to win her electoral debut. A Rajkot native, Rivaba is popularly known as cricketer Ravindra Jadeja’s wife. The BJP candidate who is considered an “outsider” is looking to make her mark in Jamnagar. She will face off against veteran Congress leader Bipendrasinh Jadeja whose campaign is being managed by Ravindra Jadeja’s sister and the Congress women’s wing head Nainaba Jadeja. The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) candidate is Karsan Karmur who quit the BJP last year. Barely three years old in the BJP, two party workers introduce Rivaba as the party’s candidate in the residential colonies along the airport road of Jamnagar city, which is the first stop of the day. Accompanying Rivaba on her “Loksampark” padyatra is “Hakuba” or Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, the incumbent BJP MLA from Jamnagar North. He barely interacts with her during the padyatra and trails off after accompanying her for 20 minutes. In the 2017 polls, Dharmendrasinh got 59 per cent of the votes, with his victory margin being a record 41,000 for the constituency. After Rivaba replaced him for the coming polls, he was placed in charge of the constituencies of Jamnagar North, Jamnagar South, and Jamnagar Rural. Rivaba, whose family assets are worth Rs 97 crore according to her poll affidavit, is unmindful of Hakuba’s absence and confidently visits the lanes of the residential colonies. She barely speaks to the voters, restricting herself largely to waves and smiles. Some wave back while some ignore her and ask if Hakuba is campaigning. “Unlike Hakuba, locals do not know her well. Her only link to the city is Ravindra Jadeja. We are sure of a victory in the coming elections, but the margin is expected to be thin,” says Balbhadrasinh Jadeja, a party worker. The yatra is led by two men beating drums. A few residents step out and are asked to garland Rivaba, after which pictures are clicked. Rivaba tries her best to connect with the voters. Members of the Kshatriya community, which she belongs to, instantly recognise her. She offers chocolates to kids and poses for selfies. Usha Shukla, one of the residents who garlanded Rivaba, says, “I am a big fan of PM Modi and I can get into a fight with my son and husband for him.” The BJP candidate replies, “Please do vote for the BJP.” At Yadav Nagar, a couple of angry women confront the BJP candidate and her entourage. “The gutters have been overflowing for the last two years. You guys come once in five years seeking votes,” says one of them. But Rivaba does not stop to inquire. Aniruddhsinh Zala, the husband of Jamnagar Municipal Corporator Jasubha Zala, assures the complainant that the work will get done within 15 days and the BJP contingent moves on. During a brief halt at the residence of Naresh Dhaval, a BJP office-bearer in the city, Rivaba watches an event of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. A recurring talking point throughout Rivaba’s campaign is the AAP. Karmur, a member of the Ahir community, is a five-time corporator and former deputy mayor. “Is it true that the AAP will cut into the BJP votes in urban areas?” asks a BJP worker. While Rivaba visits two temples in ward Number 6 and also garlands a statue of BR Ambedkar, she ends up not visiting any area where the residents are predominantly from minority communities. Before the campaign wraps up in the evening, the BJP candidate visits Defence Colony, Ram Mandir, Mahadev Mandir, Anand Colony, Purabiwadi, Radha-Krishna society, Shiv township, Bhindiwadi, Yadav Nagar, Bhakti Nagar, Gayatri Nagar, Rawal Vass, Indira Society, and Mayur Nagar. Congress nominee Bipendrasinh, who claims to have covered half of the constituency by foot since his nomination, has also taken to padyatras. “Rivaba is an outsider and that’s my advantage. I am a local candidate. I walk seven to 10 kilometres during my door-to-door campaigning. I am accompanied by none other than Naina Jadeja.” He goes on to say, “Secondly, 34 per cent of voters in Jamnagar North are below 30 years and have seen the BJP falling short of their promises. This group will help me win.” A businessman by profession, Bipendrasinh has been with the party for 32 years and is the president of the Jamnagar Chamber of Commerce. “All these years, I have only helped others contest elections. I am fighting polls for the first time,” says the leader who is also a general secretary in the Gujarat Congress Committee. The Jamnagar North seat has over 2.61 lakh voters and is spread over 14 of the 16 wards of Jamnagar Municipal Corporation, Navagam Ghed, and the Jamnagar Port area. It will go to polls on December 1 in the first phase. While Kshyatrias form 30,000 of the voters in the constituency, minorities are the largest chunk with 40,000 voters. The Scheduled Caste (SC) electorate is around 19,000 strong while the number of Patidar voters is 17,000.
