BackGujarat BJP swings into election mode
Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah says a victory in Gujarat in 2017 will pave the way for the 2019 national elections
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Ahmedabad: After revisiting its strategy for Gujarat earlier this month that saw a change in its chief ministerial candidate and a revamp of ministers in the state government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has swung into election mode.
Sounding the poll bugle 14 months ahead of the state polls, BJP national president Amit Shah, who was in Ahmedabad today for the felicitation of new state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani, said that a win in the 2017 elections will lay the foundation for BJP’ victory in the 2019 parliamentary elections.
Taking a dig at the main opposition party of Congress in Gujarat, Shah said, “Congress has been dreaming for past many years to come to power in Gujarat. They can keep dreaming (for a win) even in 2017 and many more years to come," said Shah.
Gujarat is the home state for two of the party’s top leaders - Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a win in 2017 is crucial for the party that has been in power in Gujarat for 18 straight years. Modi was the chief minister from 2001 to 2014.
Harshad Patel, spokesperson for the party, said that senior leaders including Shah, Vaghani, chief minister Vijay Rupani and deputy chief minister Nitin Patel met party workers at the event on Friday.
“BJP national president today met party workers and leaders and said it was time to gear up for the elections. We are confident of winning by a two-third majority," he said over the phone.
The Prime Minister is meanwhile expected to visit Jamnagar in Saurashtra region by the end of this month to inaugurate SAUNI (Saurashtra Narmada Avataran Irrigation) Yojana for providing Narmada water to parched areas of Saurashtra.
The region, which is facing water crisis due to inadequate rainfall this year, is politically crucial for the BJP as two communities—the upper caste Patels and lower caste Dalits—from this region are protesting against the state government.
This would be for the first time that Modi would be visiting Gujarat as a Prime Minister to launch a government scheme. It would be his second visit in a month’s time, having visited earlier this week to pay homage to Pramukh Swami, the spiritual head of the Swaminarayan sect who passed away on 13 August.
Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal also visited Sarangpur in Gujarat to pay tribute to Pramukh Swami. AAP is planning to contest elections in Gujarat next year.
A large number of Swaminarayan followers are from the powerful Patel community and the visit by political leaders is seen by many in light of the ongoing Patel agitation in the state where the community has been demanding reservation in educational institutions and government jobs.
Ahead of the festive season of Raksha Bandhan and Janmasthami, chief minister Rupani made a populist move by clearing a proposal of implementing recommendations of Seventh Pay Commission for its employees, including panchayat employees and pensioners. The proposal was put forward by his predecessor Anandiben Patel who resigned earlier this month citing age issues.
Her resignation came in at a time when the state was seeing an uprising from the Dalit community that is demanding protection of human rights and land reforms after four members of the community were brutally beaten by self-styled cow protectors last month over issue of skinning a dead cow at Una in Saurashtra. Dalits in Gujarat constitute about 7% of the state’ population.
Preparations are on full swing for the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit scheduled to be held in January next year which is expected to play a crucial part ahead of the state elections as it would revive investors confidence and project the state’s development agenda, said a senior bureaucrat who did not wish to be named.
Gujarat BJP’s focus on Saurashtra region, that has as many as 52 out of the 182 assembly seats, is also reflected in the fact that both Vaghani and Rupani hail from the region, a stronghold of the powerful and influential Patel community, who constitute about 14% of the state’ population.
The community has supported the BJP ever since it came to power in 1998, but many of its members are now agitating for quotas in government jobs and education.
Apart from Vaghani, as many as eight ministers, including deputy chief minister Nitin Patel in the new council are from the Patel community, indicating the party’s revival strategy ahead of elections.
The BJP has a lot at stake in Gujarat elections next year. So while a win may pave way for their victory in 2019, a loss could damage its reputation at the national level.
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