lok sabha elections: Gujarat BJP hopes Modi’s campaign will put an end to internal disputes

Gandhinagar: The ruling BJP in Gujarat seems to be confident that the charisma of PM Narendra Modi will douse the simmering discontent brewing in the state over the candidates’ selection for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP is facing the discontent in Gujarat so far both within and outside its ranks over the Lok Sabha candidates. However, many in Gujarat BJP maintain that once PM Modi campaigns, the creases will be ironed out.

Controversies broke out ever since BJP had announced its list of candidates with the controversy around Union minister Parshottam Rupala’s retort regarding the Kshatriya community .

Sabarkantha
Soon after announcing Bhikhaji Thakor as the candidate from Sabarkantha in North Gujarat, allegations were made that Bhikhaji Thakor was de facto Bhikhaji Damor and a tribal and not a Thakor that led to his replacement with Shobhna Baraiya. With several long-term BJP workers nursing electoral aspirations and Bhikhaji enjoying major support across Aravalli district, Baraiya was immediately marked out as an outsider and workers went on to publicly display their rejection of the candidate.

Vadodara

BJP had initially repeated its two-time MP Ranjan Bhatt, much to the chagrin of the local workers. With some senior leaders going public with their resentment, the party suspended former mayor and National Mahila Morcha vice-president Jyoti Pandya after she lashed out at the party for its choice of candidate. Subsequently, Bhatt was replaced by Hemang Joshi. Surendranagar
After BJP fielded Chandu Sihora in Surendranagar, the Talpada Kolis demanded that a candidate from their sub-caste be fielded instead of Sihora who is from the Chuvalia Koli sub-community. While the community leaders, including five-time MP Soma Ganda, threw their hats in the ring, Congress went on to field 48-year-old Rutvik Makwana from the community hoping for consolidation of Talpada Koli votes in their favour.

Rajkot
The biggest of all controversies broke out in Rajkot, ironically one of the strongest citadels of the BJP, where on March 22, BJP candidate Parshottam Rupala commented that the kings had bowed before the alien tormentors and retained relationships with them unlike the lower castes. Taking offence at the remark, the Kshatriya community across the state has taken to streets demanding withdrawal of Rupala’s candidature. While the BJP does not appear to be in a mood to accede to the demands, the agitation by the community has assumed a pan-Gujarat nature and threatens to spill over to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and UP.