The Great Lok Sabha Fight: As Gujarat votes today, here’s a look at the key contests

Banaskantha

This is the only seat in the state where both the key contenders are women. Congress has fielded Geniben Thakor, its firebrand sitting MLA from Vav constituency in the district. The BJP has fielded Rekhaben Chaudhary, who is the granddaughter of Galbabhai Patel, founder of Banas Dairy in the district. Caste is expected to be a deciding factor in this contest. While Geniben belongs to the Thakor community, Rekhaben is from the Chaudhary community, which is also locally powerful. While Geniben is a two-time MLA and a seasoned politician.

Rekhaben is a first-timer. But she has the backing of ruling BJP and its powerful organisation. In what could signal a close and crucial poll fight, top national party leaders of BJP and Congress — including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra — have campaigned in the constituency.

Sabarkantha

This constituency in north Guajrat has garnered a lot of interest among political circles with a close fight in anticipation. While the ruling BJP has fielded Shobhna Baraiya, a first-timer retired school teacher, Congress has fielded former union minister, sitting MLA and tribal leader Tushar Chaudhary from the seat.

Before Baraiya, the BJP had nominated Bhikhaji Thakor. However, within a week, the candidate was changed with Thakor expressing unwillingness to contest the election. Baraiya is the wife of former Congress MLA Mahendrasinh Baraiya who had joined BJP in 2022. Although this is a general category seat, Congress has selected a tribal candidate. The constituency has a sizable tribal population.

Patan

With a significant population of Thakor-Kshatriya community, Patan is witnessing a spirited fight by the Congress against the BJP. The grand old party has fielded former MLA Chandanji Thakor against the BJP’s sitting MP Bharatsinh Dabhi. Albeit considered a BJP bastion, the equation for the BJP seems to have been upset by the Kshatriya agitation. Constituencies of Congress’s two strong MLAs — Jignesh Mevani (Vadgam) and Kirit Patel (Patan) — fall within this Lok Sabha constituency. The anger of Kshatriya community against BJP has made the electoral contest intense.

Bharuch

This is one of the two seats where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded its candidates as part of the INDIA bloc seat-sharing deal. It’s a fight between the young and the old with tribal leader Chaitar Vasava challenging seasoned BJP leader and sitting MP Mansukh Vasava. Chaitar is a first-time sitting MLA from Dediapada constituency, Mansukh is a six-time MP and former union minister. The seat has once been represented by late Congress veteran Ahmed Patel, one of its tallest leaders in the state.

Anand

This seat in central Gujarat has over 50 per cent Kshatriya voters. For long, it has been considered as a Congress bastion.

Jamnagar in Saurashtra is among the constituencies, which is witnessing significant Kshatriya protests against the BJP. (Express File Photo_)

This time, the party has fielded Anklav sitting MLA Amit Chavda, one of its senior most leaders in the state and a Kshatriya. The BJP, on the other hand, has retained its sitting MP Mitesh Patel, a Patidar. In the backdrop of Kshatriya protests, BJP workers were prevented from campaigning in many villages in this constituency. Congress’s Chavda has latched on the Kshatriya anger against BJP while invoking Lord Ram as the “highest Kshatriya warrior”.

Jamnagar

Jamnagar in Saurashtra is among the constituencies, which is witnessing significant Kshatriya protests against the BJP. The agitating community members have disrupted BJP’s meetings in this constituency where sitting MP Poonam Maadam is seeking re-election. The seat has also seen pledges being taken by the Kshatriya community to vote for Congress.

Against Maadam, Congress has nominated J P Maraviya who is one of the youngest faces of the party in the district and the leader of opposition in Jamnagar District Panchayat. It was here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Shatrushalyasinhji Jadeja, the octogenarian patriarch of the royal family of erstwhile Nawanagar state in the district.

In what is being seen as an attempt to assuage the Kshatriya community, Modi also warned people against ‘wasting their vote’ on Congress that was not even contesting on 272 seats, which was required to form the government.

Surendranagar

This is another seat in Saurashtra region where the Kshatriya community has a sizable number and their influence in the region can be a deciding factor.

Traditionally, it is a constituency having maximum votes of the Koli community. Both the BJP and the Congress have fielded Koli community members on this seat. Chandu Shihora is fighting on BJP ticket whereas Rutvik Makwana is challenging him as a Congress candidate. Rutvik is former Congress MLA from Chotila constituency, which is one of the seven constituencies that form Surendranagar Lok Sabha seat.