Viramgam constituency in Ahmedabad district is now the most-watched seat in Gujarat, after the BJP nominated Patidar quota stir chief Hardik Patel as its candidate from right here. At 28, Hardik is the youngest candidate up to now named within the present elections, and will likely be contesting his first election.
The BJP has picked Hardik over a number of celebration veterans in addition to his aides who had been additionally in rivalry for the seat. Whereas Hardik has a number of issues going for him, being a local of Viramgam and having led the Patidar agitation, the in-house disgruntled leaders might pull him down. A number of had opposed giving a ticket to Hardik, who crossed over from the Congress solely in Might.
In addition to, the Congress has received the seat the previous two occasions. In 2012, its Tejashreeben Patel had defeated native BJP veteran Pragjibhai Patel by 16,983 votes. Later, Tejashreeben had modified her loyalty to the BJP and was fielded by the celebration from the seat in 2017. That point too, the Congress – helped by the Patidar anger in opposition to the BJP – had received, its candidate Lakhabhai Bharwad beating Tejashreeben, although by a a lot narrower margin of 6,548 votes.
Earlier than 2012 although, the BJP had received Viramgam in 1995 (when the celebration began its unbroken reign within the state), 2002 and 2007.
Of the entire 3 lakh-odd voters in Viramgam, Thakors at 1 lakh are the largest group, adopted by round 38,000 Patidars, 28,000 Dalits, and over 22,000 Muslim voters.
The Congress is but to announce its candidate, although it’s more likely to repeat sitting MLA Lakhabhai Bharwad, who’s properly appreciated as a down-to-earth chief regardless of his wealth. The equations within the seat, at the very least on paper, are beneficial in direction of the Congress – with the celebration set to nook the Muslim vote.
The Aam Aadmi Celebration (AAP) has declared Kunvarji Thakor as its candidate, and will likely be relying on taking away a few of the Muslim vote aside from that of the Thakors.
Nevertheless, Hardik has some extent to show in his first election. Since his profitable position within the Patidar quota, the younger chief has been struggling to search out his ft, first drifting to the Congress, then complaining about being sidelined within the celebration, later crossing to the BJP and never making a lot of a mark within the celebration both.
These days although, with elections coming close to, Hardik had been getting ready the bottom in Viramgam, spending most of his time within the seat and finishing up varied social, instructional and non secular actions by way of a voluntary organisation, Jan Sevashram Belief, run by his spouse Kinjal.
After getting the BJP ticket, Hardik introduced that, if elected, he would donate his MLA wage to cattle kilos and ladies’s welfare organisations, and work in direction of Viramgam being declared a district.
Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi mentioned the ticket to Hardik confirmed the BJP’s hypocrisy. “I actually pity the BJP as a result of it creates a voice in opposition to itself (in Hardik), then sends him to jail by slapping a sedition case in opposition to him. However the second he joins the BJP, he turns into clear. Kamalam (the BJP headquarters) is actually magical! Mainly, the celebration should reply in the event that they imagine within the Structure or in arbitrariness.”
AAP spokesperson Yogesh Jadvani mentioned: “The BJP calls itself the world’s largest political celebration. However it consists of such leaders who’ve abused all BJP leaders, together with (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and (Residence Minister) Amit Shah. It reveals the BJP is proving itself to be a celebration with out ideology.”