New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Occasion (BJP) is hoping to realize from the Aam Aadmi Occasion’s (AAP’s) push in Gujarat’s Saurashtra area, particularly in seats that the ruling social gathering misplaced to the Congress by slender margins in 2017. However AAP shouldn’t be allowed “to realize an excessive amount of floor” and its vote share ought to be minimised, BJP chief strategist Amit Shah is learnt to have informed social gathering leaders throughout his go to to Saurashtra earlier this week.
As a fallout of the Patidar agitation, BJP’s tally in 2017 diminished to 23 of 54 seats within the Patel-dominated Saurashtra-Kutch area, the place it had received 35 seats within the 2012 meeting polls. The social gathering is now counting on AAP for the benefit it must win triangular contests within the area.
Furthermore, similar to in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP has initiated an train to guage the efficiency of its sitting MLAs in Gujarat whereas amassing suggestions from the cadres.
For this function, the social gathering divided the state into 4 zones — south, central, north and Saurashtra — and appointed observers in every zone to work together with native social gathering functionaries and numerous different stakeholders between 27 and 29 October.
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‘Don’t be overconfident’
Earlier this week, Amit Shah carried out marathon conferences with social gathering leaders in Saurashtra to chalk out a method for the upcoming meeting polls.
He emphasised that the BJP ought to take each the Congress and AAP critically as political opponents, mentioned social gathering functionaries aware about the deliberations. “Occasion leaders and employees had been informed to work onerous and never be overconfident. We’ve been given a goal of 150 seats and a triangular contest in some seats, particularly within the Saurashtra area, can be helpful to the social gathering, Amit ji mentioned within the assembly,” a senior state BJP chief informed ThePrint, not eager to be named.
Shah, it’s learnt, additionally mentioned that the BJP should have a unique technique in place for every seat.
However the social gathering is assured that in key seats it misplaced in 2017, the AAP might find yourself being a vote-cutter. “There are various seats the place we misplaced out attributable to 1,000-2,000 votes and in these seats, Congress had emerged stronger. The social gathering needed to depend on some impartial candidates to chop into Congress’s vote however that work can be finished by AAP now. Injury to the Congress could be rather more than to the BJP,” mentioned the chief quoted above.
As an example, the Congress’s margin of victory over the BJP in 2017 was paper-thin in two tribal-dominated reserved seats, Dangs (768 votes) and Kaprada (170 votes).
“The Congress had emerged sturdy in rural areas, particularly within the Saurashtra area. We are able to see that AAP is seen on this area they usually have even tried to poach our leaders. The AAP is attempting to harm our prospects by making it a triangular contest on this specific belt and the tribal belt,” a senior state Congress chief informed ThePrint.
Indranil Rajguru, a distinguished Gujarat Congress chief from Saurashtra, joined Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP in April this yr. The BJP, in the meantime, inducted former state Congress chief Hardik Patel, who led the agitation for Patidar reservation, in June.
‘BJP may subject 20-25% new faces’
The BJP, which has been in energy in Gujarat since 1995, is attempting to enhance its 2017 tally, when the Congress received 77 seats and confined the ruling social gathering to 99. The BJP’s goal, this time round, is to win 150 seats within the 182-member legislature.
In keeping with sources in Gujarat BJP, the social gathering is probably going to offer an opportunity to 20-25 per cent of latest faces. “The social gathering will give attention to winnability as a substitute of the ‘no-repeat’ mantra for the meeting elections. If the candidate is more likely to win, then the no-repeat concept won’t are available in the best way of her/his ticket. It’s anticipated that now solely 45-50 new faces can be fielded,” mentioned one other Gujarat BJP chief.
A 3rd BJP chief mentioned the AAP will be capable to garner some good points in a number of seats within the Saurashtra area by focusing on particular communities, including that it may assist the BJP if it ends in a three-way break up. The AAP, he added, has been eyeing the agricultural and tribal belt, particularly the place Congress loved higher assist in 2017 and BJP remains to be struggling, notably over points associated to the maintenance of cow shelters.
In April, the AAP cited its inner survey to declare that it’s profitable 58 seats in Gujarat. Sandeep Pathak, the social gathering’s state in-charge for Gujarat, additionally mentioned that AAP is more likely to get the votes of decrease and middle-class segments in city areas and rural voters who’re upset with the Congress.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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