The Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president C.R. Patil had outlined an ambitious goal for the party: to secure victory in every Lok Sabha seat within the state with a margin exceeding five lakh votes. However, there have been setbacks as two candidates from among the 26 seats declined to contest the election.
Following protests from local party members, two BJP candidates — Vadodara MP Ranjanben Bhatt and debutant candidate Bhikhaji Thakor from Sabarkantha — have withdrawn from the electoral fray, citing “personal reasons”. Such instances of discontent are rare within the Gujarat BJP, which has held power in the state for nearly three decades and is the home of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.
In Vadodara, the announcement of Ranjanben Bhatt’s candidacy led to swift reactions. Within hours, Jyotiben Pandya, the BJP national women’s wing vice president, tendered her resignation from the party and all affiliated positions. Additionally, BJP MLA Ketan Inamdar from Savli in Vadodara initially resigned from the assembly (he later retracted his resignation). Inamdar’s step hinted at simmering discontent.
The Vadodara seat holds significance since it was vacated by Narendra Modi in 2014 after his victory in both Vadodara and Varanasi during his initial Lok Sabha election. Ranjan Bhatt, then the deputy mayor of Vadodara, stepped in to contest the subsequent bypoll, securing victory by a margin exceeding five lakh votes.
In Sabarkantha, the BJP replaced Bhikhaji Thakor with the Shobhnaben Mahendrasinh Baraiya which sparked dissent.Thakor’s supporters had observed a bandh in his support in Meghraj town in Aravalli district and the party workers in large numbers had reached the BJP office in Modasa to protest against Shobhnaben Baraiya.
In the Surendranagar constituency, tensions have arisen following the replacement of incumbent Mahendra Munjpara with Chad Sihora, a former Congressman from the Chuvaliya Koli community. This move has left the Talpada Kolis infuriated, as they insist on a candidate from their own community being fielded.
The Valsad Lok Sabha seat is very important because it often decides which party will form the government in Delhi. In this election, the BJP has chosen Dhaval Patel as their candidate. He has previously served as the national social media in charge of the BJP Schedule Tribe Morcha. Dhaval Patel replaced K.C. Patel, who has been the MP for the last two terms. Recently, there has been a lot of disagreement about who should be the candidate for this seat. Many letters have been circulating on social media asking for Dhawal Patel to be replaced with a new candidate. The BJP alleges that these letters are from the Opposition, but the Congress party says they have nothing to do with them.
Also read: Severe Infighting in Gujarat BJP, Reports of Workers Being Hospitalised in Amreli
The situation within the Congress party is dire, even more so than in the BJP. Rohan Gupta, who was selected as the Congress candidate for the challenging Ahmedabad East seat, has resigned from all party positions. He cited “constant humiliation and character assassination by a senior leader associated with the communication department of the party over the past two years” as the reason for his resignation.
Several prominent Congress leaders are showing reluctance to participate in elections. Bharatsinh Solanki, for instance, announced his decision not to contest via social media. Solanki expressed his desire to focus on his responsibilities within the All India Congress Committee (AICC), where he serves as the in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir. In the Rajkot seat, the Congress had planned to field Paresh Dhanani against Parshottam Rupala, who currently holds a position as a Union cabinet minister. However, Dhanani has declined to contest the election. Dhanani is a former leader of the Opposition in Gujarat and he had defeated Rupala earlier.
As a part of the seat-sharing agreement between the INDIA Alliance partners Congress party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the AAP is contesting Bharuch and Bhavnagar seats. Although the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat holds significance due to its association with late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, the grand old party has opted to let the AAP contest “recognising that compromises are essential for the success of an alliance,” explained MP Jairam Ramesh. Meanwhile, Mumtaz Patel, daughter of the late Patel, expressed dissatisfaction with this decision on social media platform X (previously called Twitter).
“Deeply apologise to Our district cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance.I share your disappointment.Together, we will regroup to make @INCIndiastronger .We won’t let @ahmedpatel 45 years of Legacy go in vain.#bharuchkibeti ,” Mumtaz Patel wrote.
In Bharuch, an intriguing battle is set to unfold between two Vasavas: the incumbent BJP MP Mansukhbhai D. Vasava and the AAP’s Chaitar Vasava. Another Vasava has emerged in the spotlight — Chhotu Vasava, a seasoned tribal leader and former MLA.
Chhotu Vasava recently launched the Bharat Adviasi Samvidhan Sena (BASS), a new political outfit. This development comes shortly after his son Mahesh, who co-founded the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), joined the BJP and merged the party with the ruling party. Notably, Chhotu Vasava served as a Janata Dal (United) MLA from the Jhagadia seat of Bharuch from 1990 to 2012. He indirectly criticised his son Mahesh Vasava for aligning with the BJP, asserting that the community will hold those who have prioritised personal gain accountable.
In 2020, Chhotu Vasava’s BTP forged an alliance with the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). In Bharuch, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi addressed a rally in 2021, where Chhotubhai Vasava, also shared the stage. Despite these efforts, the alliance has not managed to make any significant mark so far. Nevertheless, AIMIM is poised to make its debut in the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat, fielding candidates in Bharuch and Gandhinagar. Notably, Amit Shah is the sitting MP from Gandhinagar.
Nationally, there is intense debate surrounding the concept of “one nation-one election,” as the committee chaired by former president Ramnath Kovind has submitted its report. Meanwhile, in Gujarat, the changing dynamics within the legislative assembly have necessitated by-elections within 15 months of the assembly elections in December 2022.
In line with the Lok Sabha elections, Gujarat is also preparing for assembly by-elections — to be held due to the resignation of Congress MLAs — C.J. Chavda from Vijapur, Chirag Patel from Khambhat, Arjun Modhwadia from Porbandar and Arvind Ladani from Manavadar — who have since resigned and joined the BJP. Additionally, independent MLA Dharmendrasinh Vaghela resigned from the Waghodia seat. The BJP has nominated all five candidates for the by-elections. Such incidents raise serious questions over the idea of one nation-one elections.
Suchak Patel is an independent writer. He is a Reporter’s Collective fellow and is associated with the Land Conflict Watch as a researcher.
