Political heat is beginning to soar in Gujarat as BJP and Congress blown bugle of the Assembly polls on Thursday by making important election related appointments ahead of the their top leaders Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the poll-bound State in the next month.
Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Defense Arun Jaitley has been made BJP’s in-charge for the State Assembly polls. Apart from Jaitley four other Union Ministers including Narendra Singh Tomar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Jitendra Singh and PP Chaudhry were given the responsibility as joint in-charge for the State Assembly polls.
“Jaitley played important role in the three previous assembly polls in Gujarat. He knows the State geographically as well as socially. His appointment as party in-charge for the ensuing Assembly elections would only enhance BJP workers’ moral,’’ said Gujarat BJP spokesman Bharat Pandya.
Meanwhile opposition Congress party made massive expansion in Gujarat Congress organisation by announcing additional office-bearers and executive committee members for Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC). The grand old party has also formed five committees related to upcoming assembly polls. Moreover the Congress high-command named 13 presidents of district and city Congress committees.
Keeping the pro-quota agitation of powerful Patidar community, Congress seems to have played Patel card by making Siddharth Patel Chairman of Election Campaign Committee. Siddharth is the son of former Gujarat Chief Minister Chimanbhai Patel. Interestingly in the last Assembly polls in 2012, Shankersinh Vaghela was head of the campaign committee. 77-year-old Vaghela abandoned the party on his birthday on July 21 this year.
As far as other election related appointments are concerned, senior Gujarat Congress leaders Madhusudan Mistry, Shaktisinh Gohil and Arjun Modhvadia named as chairmen of Election Manifesto Committee, Election Media Committee and Election Publicity and Material Committee respectively.
Narendra Rawat whose name was announced by the Congress party as candidate from Vadodara Parliamentary Constituency against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 lok Sabha polls, has been appointed as Election Co-ordination Committee for Urban areas. However, the party had withdrawn his name last moment and gave ticket to Mistry. Other important appointments for the GPCC include 10 vice-presidents, 14 general secretaries, seven spokespersons, 63 secretaries, four Executive Committee members and nine special invitees.
Of the 13 appointments of presidents of City and District Congress committees, Rajkot-east MlA Indranil Rajguru’s appointment as Rajkot City president is the most important from the point of view of the 2017 Assembly polls. Rajguru is expected to be pitted against Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani from Rajkot-west assembly constituency. Sources in the Congress party said that he started preparing to fight election from the constituency as the party high command had already conveyed him to prepare to fight against the Gujarat CM.