As Gujarat votes today, focus on urban and tribal constituencies

Besides Saurashtra, eight districts of South Gujarat, comprising 35 assembly seats, are set to go to the polls on Thursday. Fourteen of these seats are reserved for the Scheduled Tribes and 16 are urban seats, where the ruling BJP has traditionally enjoyed support of the majority of the electorate. In 2017, the BJP had bagged 25 seats in the region, while the Congress won eight seats and the Bharatiya Tribal Party two seats. However, the situation has changed since then.

While BJP continues to hold sway over the urban seats, the fledgling AAP has managed to rattle the equilibrium, nowhere more than in the diamond city of Surat. Out of 12 assembly seats in Surat, AAP has made its presence felt in at least three seats and that is no comfort for either BJP or Congress.



In the tribal seats, basic issues such as roads, water, forest land and price rise have assumed greater importance, as have local politics and hurt egos.

While a family feud between father and son in BTP has led to its chief Chhotu Vasava contesting as an Independent from his citadel in Jhagadia, a reserved tribal constituency, that he had represented for decades. His grip over the constituency is set to face its greatest challenge, opening up a door for BJP's Ritesh Vasava.

In Nandod, BJP faces a challenge in the form of Harshad Vasava, who, after being denied ticket, went on to file his nomination as an Independent. Vasava has been the main driving force for BJP's Adivasi Yatra in the area recently and enjoys decent support.

BJP had to eat humble pie early this year on the issue of the proposed Par-Tapi-Narmada linking project, which it had to shelve due to massive protests by the tribals. "Once BJP returns to power, what stops them from reinitiating the project?" asked Vansda MLA and Congress candidate Anant Patel.

Water is yet another issue for the locals. Issues such as lack of schools and teachers, narrow or no roads, price rise are also major talking points.