Development, defection, the rise of a political heir, resentment among farmers, caste equations and a powerful rebel candidate. Almost every element that goes into a heated election in India is at play for the assembly contest in Sanand, the “Motown” of Gujarat. Home to Tata’s Nano manufacturing plant, which Narendra Modi as chief minister wrested from West Bengal following the Singur agitation in 2008, Sanand is also home to Ford and a number of auto ancillary units. But what’s driving the electoral discourse here this time, with 2.43 lakh voters, is the undercurrent of anger among its significant vote base of farmers across party lines. Especially after a rally in February of farmers from 32 villages and the neighbouring Viramgam region, demanding access to Narmada water, turned violent. The state government later announced the withdrawal of criminal cases that had been lodged against 22 farmers involved in the protests, but that appears to have cut little ice on the ground. “We have decided to vote against the BJP. They used lathis on us when we demanded Narmada water for farming and filed criminal cases against us. As the elections came near, they said they were withdrawing the cases. But when we checked with the home department, officials told us that no such resolution has been issued,” says Vadilal Patel, a Koli Patel from Asal village and one among the 22 facing criminal charges. In Sanand constituency, the choice of the Koli Patel community is considered decisive — it forms around one-sixth of the electorate, and has a reputation of voting in a block. In 2012, Congress’s Karamshi Makwana, a Koli Patel leader, narrowly defeated the BJP’s Kshatriya candidate, Kama Rathod. However, in a political twist four months ago, Makwana voted against the Congress’s Ahmed Patel in the high-profile Rajya Sabha elections, and later switched to the BJP. His son, Kanu Makwana, is the BJP candidate now. The Congress, meanwhile, has nominated a woman candidate, Pushpa Dabhi, who heads the Ahmedabad district panchayat. Crucially, Dabhi is also from the Koli community. Given this scenario, support for Kanu Makwana and the BJP is mixed. “Why should we vote for Kanu? We voted for his father, Karamshi, as a Congress candidate. And then, he joined the BJP, the party which hurled lathis at us. We have a Koli leader in Pushpaben, who is a Congress candidate. We will vote for her,” says Ramjibhai Patel from Upardal village. “Karamshibhai quit the Congress because none of his work proposals got executed by the state government as he was an Opposition MLA. Now, he is in the BJP and can work for the development of the region in a better way. Therefore, we are going to vote for him,” says Vinuben Patel from Gokalpura village. Between the two voices is another twist, in the form of Kama Rathod, former BJP MLA and a local strongman who is contesting as an independent candidate, one of the five from 14 candidates in the fray. “Kamabhai had been working for the BJP for years. However, instead of giving him a ticket, the party leadership chose a completely new face and that is unacceptable. We are supporting Kamabhai and he is going to win the election as he has been tirelessly working for the region’s welfare,” says Bharatsinh Dodiya from Daduka village. With days left for voting, a veteran political observer from Sanand, who did not wish to be named, says it’s an uphill task for the BJP here. “Being a Koli leader and panchayat president, Pushpa Dabhi holds influence among the Kolis, many of whom are unhappy with Karamshi Makwana. The rebel Kama Rathod is also likely to eat into the BJP’s votes as he was a prominent face of the party in Sanand. It will be tough for the BJP.”
