Will Surat prove to be the Achilles' Heel for BJP in Gujarat?
GANDHINAGAR
: If the diamond city for decades has kept the coffers of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) flowing, Surat may as well prove to be the Achilles' heel for saffron party in 2017.
While the city had forced the National president of BJP, Amit Shah to cut short his speech last September during a public function, it also witnessed eggs being thrown on the newly appointed president of BJP youth wing Rutvij Patel last week.
It will not be out of place to recall that some of the most violent expressions of the Patidar agitation demanding reservation under OBC quota were also witnessed in the diamond city, where Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) convener Hardik Patel was incarcerated for nine months on charges of sedition thereafter, fuelling statewide anger among the community members.
The disquiet in the otherwise stronghold of BJP however has not been a sudden development. As a matter of fact, the Patidar dominated city has been simmering with discontent for a long time and efforts were made to enflame the resentments even during 2007 or 2012 Assembly elections.The resentment of the community was visible in 2009 Lok Sabha election when three out of four Patel candidates fielded by BJP were rejected by the community in the Patel heartland of Saurashtra.
Bapunagar in Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha seat and Varacha Road in Surat Lok Sabha seat being two other assembly constituencies reflecting the mood of Patel voters also saw BJP trailing by 9375 votes and 11618 votes respectively.
The drifting of the Patel voters in Bhavnagar also had seen the winning margin of the incumbent BJP MP Rajendrasinh Rana reduced to a wafer thin 5902 votes.
Speaking to ET on condition of anonymity, a BJP worker, belonging to the Patel community explains the importance of capturing Surat. "To start with, whatever happens in Surat, resonates across Saurashtra and North Gujarat as the Patels from both these areas have migrated to Surat in very large numbers to join the diamond industry," he says adding that post late nineties.
South Gujarat has largely remained steady for BJP in Gujarat while other parts have seen volatility. "Ten to twelve seats lost in the region could prove disastrous for BJP in state assembly," he added.
PAAS spokesperson Varun Patel makes no attempt to shy away from the fact and says "on one hand, we have a very strong leader in the form of Alpesh Kathiria in Surat with great connect at the grassroots level. On the other, people are now fed up with the dispensation that seems to care nothing for us and hence you are seeing that kind of resistance in Surat, which also is home to largest number of Patels."
"If things continue this way, BJP may even find it difficult to open their election offices in many areas of Surat this year," he adds.
While the city had forced the National president of BJP, Amit Shah to cut short his speech last September during a public function, it also witnessed eggs being thrown on the newly appointed president of BJP youth wing Rutvij Patel last week.
It will not be out of place to recall that some of the most violent expressions of the Patidar agitation demanding reservation under OBC quota were also witnessed in the diamond city, where Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) convener Hardik Patel was incarcerated for nine months on charges of sedition thereafter, fuelling statewide anger among the community members.
The disquiet in the otherwise stronghold of BJP however has not been a sudden development. As a matter of fact, the Patidar dominated city has been simmering with discontent for a long time and efforts were made to enflame the resentments even during 2007 or 2012 Assembly elections.The resentment of the community was visible in 2009 Lok Sabha election when three out of four Patel candidates fielded by BJP were rejected by the community in the Patel heartland of Saurashtra.
Bapunagar in Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha seat and Varacha Road in Surat Lok Sabha seat being two other assembly constituencies reflecting the mood of Patel voters also saw BJP trailing by 9375 votes and 11618 votes respectively.
The drifting of the Patel voters in Bhavnagar also had seen the winning margin of the incumbent BJP MP Rajendrasinh Rana reduced to a wafer thin 5902 votes.
Speaking to ET on condition of anonymity, a BJP worker, belonging to the Patel community explains the importance of capturing Surat. "To start with, whatever happens in Surat, resonates across Saurashtra and North Gujarat as the Patels from both these areas have migrated to Surat in very large numbers to join the diamond industry," he says adding that post late nineties.
South Gujarat has largely remained steady for BJP in Gujarat while other parts have seen volatility. "Ten to twelve seats lost in the region could prove disastrous for BJP in state assembly," he added.
PAAS spokesperson Varun Patel makes no attempt to shy away from the fact and says "on one hand, we have a very strong leader in the form of Alpesh Kathiria in Surat with great connect at the grassroots level. On the other, people are now fed up with the dispensation that seems to care nothing for us and hence you are seeing that kind of resistance in Surat, which also is home to largest number of Patels."
"If things continue this way, BJP may even find it difficult to open their election offices in many areas of Surat this year," he adds.
