Rajkot: With the pro-'hindutva' fervour seemingly absent so far in Saurashtra and
Kutch in Gujarat, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is unlikely to repeat its record
performance in next week's crucial Assembly elections from the region, the home turf
of Keshubhai Patel, who was unceremoniously removed from chiefministership last year
to make way for Narendra Modi.
The 1998 Assembly polls had witnessed the saffron party coming to power for the
second time in a row helped by a handsome showing of 52 seats from Saurashtra and
Kutch out of a total of 58 seats in the region.
This time, however, BJP has failed to generate the same enthusiasm among people in
the water-starved region, despite Godhra and its aftermath.
Local BJP leaders contend that there is an undercurrent of hindutva in view of the
fact that the region had always remained in the forefront of the Ayodhya movement
and had solidly backed L K Advani's 'Somnath yatra' over a decade ago.
Keshubhai, who is reportedly upset over the projection of Modi as the future Chief
Minister by the central leadership, had campaigned in the region rather late.
Party leaders in the region dispute suggestions that Keshubhai was showing
indifference to the campaign. ''He is busy campaigning in other parts of the state
and will concentrate in the region in the crurical last few days,'' they said.
The region holds the key to levers of power in the state as BJP had bagged 117 out
of a total of 182 seats in Gujarat in the last polls and 52 of them were from
Saurashtra and Kutch. While Saurashtra has 52 constituencies, Kutch has six.
Another cause of worry for the ruling party was the reported lukewarm response to
the public meetings of some national leaders including Deputy Prime Minister L K
Advani.
Though BJP leaders are putting up a brave front claiming that the party would break
the record of 1998, inter-action with a cross section of people suggests that the
picture was not that rosy.
Congress, which is out of power in the state for 13 long years, is in an upbeat mood
with the two public rallies of party president Sonia Gandhi in Surendranagar and
Amreli districts said to have been a big draw.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Kamal Nath, who is incharge of
party affairs in Gujarat, claims that the Congress has been 'comfortably placed' in
the region this time where 'hindutva' has not emerged as a major issue.
Both BJP and Congress have made efforts to woo the influential Patel community by
giving sizeable tickets to candidates from the community.
PTI
