Rajkot: An interesting electoral battle is on the cards in the Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s (RMC) ward number two, which falls under chief minister Vijay Rupani’s assembly constituency.
The imposition of Disturbed Areas Act a few days before the announcement of election date is expected to be one of the major factors in this ward, which is a mix of Rajkot city’s posh areas and has a significant population of minority community too.
Last year, BJP had chosen Muslim candidate Sofia Dal to contest from this ward, but this time the party has give tickets to the panel led by former deputy mayor Dr Darshita Shah. Dal had won in the 2015 polls.
Congress has picked former leader of opposition in RMC Atul Rajani’s panel while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has taken its maiden plunge in civic polls by fielding its city president Rajbha Zala.
This ward covers Kisanpara Chowk, Raiya Road, Airport Road, Race Course Road, Circuit House Road, Kasturba Marg and other posh areas. A significant minority population resides in societies of Raiya Road like Subhashnagar, Razanagar, Nehrunagar, Ekjan Nagar for the past few years. There are nearly 10,000 Muslim voters in this ward and BJP, sources said, has discounted their votes. Congrss and AAP have chosen one Muslim candidate each in this ward.
BJP had won all four seats of this ward in the 2015 election.
One of the biggest poll planks has been solving the problem of Amrapali railway crossing where an underpass was constructed four months ago, thus ending years of frustrating traffic jams.