Rebels queer the pitch for Congress in North Gujarat
, ET Bureau|
Updated: Dec 05, 2017, 01.07 AM IST
AHMEDABAD | VADODARA: Rebels are threatening to queer the pitch for the Congress in the crucial North Gujarat, where the party holds more than half the seats. There are at least 25 rebels left in the fray in 19 constituencies in the state, after the last date of withdrawal of nominations ended on Thursday last week. The worst affected is North Gujarat, where 16 rebels in 13 constituencies have refused to withdraw their nominations against the official candidates.
The region comprises 32 seats spanning six districts of Gandhinagar, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mehsana and Patan. The Congress had won 17 of the 32 seats and the BJP 15 seats. What makes the contest keen is the fact that some seats, like Kankrej in Banaskantha district, were won by Congress with narrow margins of just about 700 votes. The presence of a rebel candidate is likely to make the contest more difficult for Congress.
The toughest challenge is in Banaskantha district where the Congress is facing rebels on five seats. These include Tharad, Vadgam, Deesa, Deodar and Kankrej constituencies. In Tharad, the party gave the ticket to BD Rajput instead of Mavjibhai Patel, who had narrowly lost in 2012 to BJP’s Parbatbhai Patel by 3,473 votes. Patel has refused to withdraw. Congress’ decision not to field a candidate and support activist-turned-politician Jignesh Mevani in Vadgam has complicated matters internally.
There are two Congress rebels against Mevani — Ashvin Parmar and Balkrishna Zirawala. Interestingly, Vadgam is considered a “safe” seat for Congress since the party had won this seat in 2012 by a margin of 21,000 votes.
If Saurashtra is considered the game changer in the first phase, North Gujarat is expected to play that role in the second phase of elections. Congress is banking on the alliance partners such as Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor, Mevani and tribal leader Chottubhai Vasava to tilt the balance in its favour in the region. “If there are three rebels, there is also an additional factor of Hardik’s movement. There is also Mevani’s work in this area,” said a Congress leader.
The region comprises 32 seats spanning six districts of Gandhinagar, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mehsana and Patan. The Congress had won 17 of the 32 seats and the BJP 15 seats. What makes the contest keen is the fact that some seats, like Kankrej in Banaskantha district, were won by Congress with narrow margins of just about 700 votes. The presence of a rebel candidate is likely to make the contest more difficult for Congress.
The toughest challenge is in Banaskantha district where the Congress is facing rebels on five seats. These include Tharad, Vadgam, Deesa, Deodar and Kankrej constituencies. In Tharad, the party gave the ticket to BD Rajput instead of Mavjibhai Patel, who had narrowly lost in 2012 to BJP’s Parbatbhai Patel by 3,473 votes. Patel has refused to withdraw. Congress’ decision not to field a candidate and support activist-turned-politician Jignesh Mevani in Vadgam has complicated matters internally.
There are two Congress rebels against Mevani — Ashvin Parmar and Balkrishna Zirawala. Interestingly, Vadgam is considered a “safe” seat for Congress since the party had won this seat in 2012 by a margin of 21,000 votes.
If Saurashtra is considered the game changer in the first phase, North Gujarat is expected to play that role in the second phase of elections. Congress is banking on the alliance partners such as Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor, Mevani and tribal leader Chottubhai Vasava to tilt the balance in its favour in the region. “If there are three rebels, there is also an additional factor of Hardik’s movement. There is also Mevani’s work in this area,” said a Congress leader.
