Bait and watch: Woo-topian delights spice up poll battle in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: What is the one decisive factor that will settle for good any confusion you may have about whom to vote for? A seafront along the coastline? A saintly CM? A liquor-free state? A glam makeover of your city a la Paris? A quota for jobs? While political parties engaged in poll battles have launched ambitious out-of-the-box manifestos, many enthusiastic candidates have set the box aside and whisked out some hyper-localized carrots.
For instance, Shivanand Saraswati, 36, a Patan resident fighting for the Chanasma seat on Gujarat Navnirman Sena ticket, has committed to ensuring that a saint becomes the chief minister of the state. His party has also vowed to install the cow as the national animal of India if voted to power.
“We will take inspiration from the Sabarmati riverfront to build a seafront along the 1,600-km coastline of Gujarat and a SmartCity at every 100km of the coast,” said Saraswati, who is batting for the release of selfstyled godman Asaram Bapu. Moreover, his party has announced plans to set up 500 gurukuls and gaushalas, one every 25km.
Hasmukh Saxena, an independent candidate from Bayad, has promised to give Aravalli district a Parisian overhaul. He wants to make it an education hotspot by setting up varsities. He has also announced his intention to build a temple for goddess Untarda, the local deity.
AAP leader Swejal Vyas is contesting the zero-sum Gujarat assembly poll from Sayajigunj seat in the BJP’s impregnable bastion of Vadodara City. To woo voters in the Hindu-dominated assembly constituency, Vyas has promised to sponsor flowers, prasad and organizational expenses of all Ganesh pandals across the constituency over the next five years.
“If voted to power, we will put up RO units every 2km, install water coolers at religious sites and build washrooms in public places,” Vyas said.
Freebies for transpeople, destitute
Then there are contenders who have promised to spend their earnings on civic and social infrastructure and offer financial assistance for socio-religious activities. The BJP’s Balkrishna Shukla, popularly known as Balu, who is in the fray for Vadodara’s Raopura seat, has committed to setting up shelter homes for transpeople.
Inspired by LGBTQ activist Manvendrasinh Gohil, Shukla is also driven to work for the third gender. “Vadodara is already home to a shelter for transpeople, but the community requires more safe spaces for refuge. After recognizing key issues, I will set up another shelter home,” said Shukla. He has earlier worked to resolve the issues faced by the third gender during his tenure as an MP from Vadodara. His efforts played a significant role in getting the third gender their rightful place in the official documents such as ration cards and voter ID cards.
In another case, independent candidate and a retired government official, Baldevsinh Parmar who is in the fray from Umreth, has decided to donate his savings for the welfare of orphans, widows and people with disabilities.
“I will offer financial support to help those who want to complete their education. I will also fund mass marriage ceremonies,” said Parmar, former joint director in the state’s horticulture department. “I will work towards broadening the underpasses at the National Expressway along Samarkha and other villages so that villagers can commute safely,” he added.
Mahesh Patel, a candidate from the Parivartan Samaj Party, has promised free legal advice to people trapped in litigation tangles. Patel said, “If voted to power, we will help solve legal issues outside the purview of courts and police stations. ”
No booze, no tobacco
Despite the strict prohibition law, the spate of liquor seizures across Gujarat ahead of the poll reflects a policy paradox of sorts. Hasmukh Saxena, 46, wants to do away with even the permit shops that sell liquor. “Such an addiction among men leaves women in the family helpless and frustrated. Therefore, both liquor and tobacco must be abolished,” he said.
Job quota for locals
Reservation for jobs was one of the key issues in the 2017 assembly poll. Even this year, major parties have promised lakhs of jobs to the youth if voted to power. An independent from Patidardominated seat of Viramgam, Rajesh Devipujak, has promised a quota for locals in the automobile manufacturing units of Sanand, Mandal and Bechraji. He is pitted against the BJP’s Hardik Patel, who spearheaded the Patidar agitation for reservation, and the Congress’s Lakha Bharwad. “I have been unemployed for the past five months and there are thousands like me. So, I decided to contest the election and root for a job quota for locals, especially those from SC and OBC communities,” Devipujak said.