Gujarat Elections 2022 Live Updates: BJP releases manifesto for Gujarat Assembly polls

Winning the Anand Assembly seat in 2017 after 25 years, can the Congress milk a victory and do an encore in what is mainly seen as a two-way fight with the BJP, which is banking on its good showing in the civic polls to continue.

The fishermen of Jakhau recently submitted a memorandum to Kutch district collector, drawing his attention to people living in the open after their homes and huts were demolished during the demolition drive last month citing coastal security.

The constituency has a total of 2,49,484 voters, of whom around 11.7 per cent are from the minority community. The Scheduled Castes(SC) community accounts for about 14 per cent. Jadeja is from the Kshatriya community and was the two-time Congress MLA from the constituency before switching over to the BJP in 2020. For him, the independents from the Kshatriya community and internal fighting within the BJP could pose some trouble. For the Congress, the AAP's entry is a threat as it is wary that it might eat into the opposition space.

Political analyst Hemant Shah said the demolitions were carried out to consolidate Hindu votes. "Demolishing some Hindu property during this exercise was aimed at projecting the government as being impartial," he added.

The issue of restoration of Jakhau Harbour, a major source of economic activity in the area, is an issue that the opposition has been harping on to target the BJP. The water crisis in the region, especially getting water from Narmada, is also a major poll plank of various political parties in the arid Kutch region.

Standing outside her makeshift home, Vaishali Mangale is at a loss to understand why around 300 houses, huts and godowns at the Jakhau harbour were demolished by authorities just ahead of polls in Gujarat for being “unauthorised” constructions.

In an interview to PTI, Owaisi, on a campaign tour in Kutch district where his party is contesting two seats, refuted the claim that the AIMIM was a "vote katua" (vote-cutter) party."Why is the Congress levelling allegations against us? Is it to hide its own deficiencies? The BJP has been in power in Gujarat for the last 27 years, only Congress was in the opposition. Who had stopped Congress from defeating the BJP, and why had they failed to defeat them for nearly three decades? The Congress must first answer this question," he said.

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi has denied that his party's role in the next month's Gujarat Assembly elections would be to eat into the Congress's vote share, and blamed the grand old party for the BJP's long run in power in the state.

We will also make a law pertaining to damages to public property. The law will be regarding recovery from anti-social elements who damage public property and attack private property: BJP national president JP Nadda

We will ensure the complete implementation of the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code Committee’s recommendation: BJP national president JP Nadda

It will have to be seen whether the Koli community goes with Bavaliya or remains loyal to the Congress, he said. "Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded Tejas Gajipara, a Patel, and he is likely to make a dent in the Patidar vote bank of the BJP. So the contest has become interesting," he added.

From 1995, Bavaliya won from Jasdan as a Congress candidate four times in a row (1995, 1998, 2002 and 2007). He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009 from Rajkot seat. In the by-poll after Bavaliya resigned as MLA, BJP's Bharat Boghra, a Patel leader, defeated the Congress candidate in 2009. But in 2012, Bholabhai Gohil of Congress defeated Boghra. Bavaliya lost the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Rajkot to the BJP. He was once again fielded by the Congress from Jasdan Assembly seat and registered a comfortable win over Boghra. In 2017, a rift developed between Bavaliya and the state Congress leadership. Sensing an opportunity, the BJP wooed him into its fold. He resigned as MLA and won the byelection on BJP ticket in 2018. The ruling party has thus until now managed to win Jasdan only in by-polls, with Bhogra winning in 2009 and Bavaliya in 2018.

Kolis are a numerically strong OBC community with a strong presence in Saurashtra and South Gujarat. The community is concentrated more in the coastal areas.

Of its about 2.6 lakh voters, around one lakh belong to the Koli community, while around 60,000 are Patidars. Other Backward Class (OBC) communities (other than the Kolis), Dalits and Muslims make up the rest.

The Jasdan Assembly constituency in Gujarat is likely to witness a close contest with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) banking on 'poached' leader Kunvarji Bavaliya, while the Congress hoping to retain the support of the Koli community that he belongs to.

In all, 91,154 persons have been put under preventive detention so far under various provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Gujarat Prohibition Act and Gujarat Police Act, the release added.