New Delhi: When Bhupendra Patel was chosen Gujarat Chief Minister final yr, in what was broadly believed to be an try by the Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP) to beat the anti-incumbency sentiments towards the Vijay Rupani authorities within the state, one of many causes cited by celebration leaders was his highest victory margin amongst all MLAs within the meeting elections. Patel had contested the 2017 meeting elections within the state from the Ghatoldia constituency and gained 217000 votes.
The opposite was his picture of being a low-profile Patidar chief.
Lower to 2022, and Kunvarjibhai Narsinhbhai Halpati — a frontrunner from one of many poorest of tribal sects in Gujarat in line with BJP sources, the Halpatis — made it to Patel’s ministry because the Gujarat CM began his second tenure in workplace Monday, ostensibly due to his feat of profitable the Mandvi meeting seat in Kutch district, which the BJP had by no means gained because the state was fashioned in 1960.
The opposite cause, sources within the celebration cited, for Halpati’s inclusion within the ministry was that he represented the “poor tribal Halpati neighborhood”. Halpati was sworn in as a minister of state (MoS) for tribal affairs Monday.
“Halpatis are the poorest amongst tribals (within the state), and when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was Gujarat’s Chief Minister (between 2001 and 2014), he had initiated the ‘gram guru’ scheme for tribals, to assemble homes for them,” mentioned Janak Bhai Patel, vp of the Gujarat unit of the BJP.
Janak Bhai added: “Since Halpati gained this seat for the primary time for the BJP, the celebration rewarded him by inducting the tribal chief from the poorest neighborhood to empower them. Three of the 5 seats the place BJP has gained for the primary time are from the tribal belt.”
These embrace Jhagadia and Vyara, along with Mandvi.
“In Jhagadia, the BJP’s Ritesh Vasava defeated the Bharatiya Tribal Celebration’s (BTP) Chhotubhai Vasava. Chhotubhai had gained the seat seven occasions beforehand and earlier than that, the Congress held it between 1962 and 1985. The BJP had by no means gained this seat earlier than,” mentioned Janak Bhai.
In Vyara, one other seat that the Congress has been profitable because the first Gujarat meeting election in 1962, this time BJP candidate Mohan Kankani emerged victorious.
The celebration additionally gained the Borvad and Mahuda seats for the primary time, with Raman Solanki and Sanjay Malhotra, defeating the Congress’ Rajendra Singh Parmar and Inder Singh Parmar, respectively.
Halpati was, nevertheless, the one amongst these 5 profitable MLAs to get a ministerial berth.
Additionally learn: Catastrophe in Gujarat however solace in Himachal: What Congress will take away from meeting polls
The rise of Halpati
As soon as thought-about near Congress chief Tushar Choudhary, whose father was Congress chief and former Gujarat Chief Minister Amarsinh Chaudhary, Kunvarjibhai Halpati gained his first election from Bardoli in 2007 on a Congress ticket.
It’s broadly believed that Halpati had bought the ticket due to Tushar Choudhary. In 2012, nevertheless, the Bardoli seat was reserved for scheduled castes candidates, so Halpati sought a ticket from Gandevi. After being denied, he joined the BJP in 2013 and was made chairman of the state tribal improvement board.
He sought a ticket from Mandvi within the 2017 elections, however in line with celebration sources, one other tribal chief, Ganpatsinh Vestabhai Vasava, who had been a cupboard minister within the Rupani authorities, ensured that the ticket didn’t go to Halpati.
Halpati went on to file his nomination as an unbiased candidate from Mangol and Mandvi, however misplaced in each seats.
He later returned to the BJP and began cultivating his relationship with C.R.Patil, president of the BJP’s Gujarat unit, mentioned the sources.
Now, following his defeating of sitting Congress MLA Anand Choudhary from Mandvi, Halpati has managed to get an MoS seat.
“BJP has gained 24 of 27 reserved seats, which is phenomenal. Celebration has to respect that mandate. Congress has achieved super efficiency in that tribal area, however owing to poor tribal outreach, we now have bought success within the tribal belt. Celebration has revered mandate and included one (tribal) cupboard and one state minister within the ministry,” mentioned a celebration chief.
The Congress had constantly gained Mandvi from 1962 to 2017. In 1975, the title of the place was modified to Sangrah, but it surely was modified again to Mandvi in 2012.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
Additionally learn: Gujarat BJP chief who jumped in river to save lots of Morbi survivors wins with whopping majority