BJP in Gujarat on a roll with Congress in disarray
Amid the flurry of hectic political activity that prominent leaders of various parties are engaged in ahead of the lok Sabha election, the continuing decimation of the Congress in Gujarat has received relatively little attention. Well-known State leaders of the party have been deserting the Congress and switching over to the Bharatiya Janata Party. At last count, the Congress was down to 53 seats in the 182-member Assembly, with two sitting legislators crossing over to the BJP from the Congress a couple of days ago. This bodes ill for the Congress in the State as the general election advances. It means that the BJP has more weapons in its armoury with the arrival of the MlAs from the opposition ranks. The BJP is looking to sweep the 26 lok Sabha seats from Gujarat, and most poll surveys have been giving it upward of 20 seats. It would not be surprising, given the steady flow of migrants from the Congress, if the BJP makes a clean sweep in the lok Sabha election from the State. This would be an icing on the cake for the party because its prime ministerial candidate is also the Chief Minister of Gujarat. But it is not the first instance since the 2012 Assembly election, in which the BJP secured 115 seats, that senior leaders from the opposition ranks have come to the ruling party in the State. And, it may not be the last. The Congress's plight is compounded by speculation that even its senior leaders such as Shankersinh Vaghela are unhappy with the party and have reached a point of frustration where they may take some drastic steps to address the situation. Mr Vaghela, who has never bothered to hide his Sangh ideology even after he joined the Congress, had quit the BJP on account of differences with the State leadership after being the Chief Minister for close to a year in 1996-97. A number of his supporters have over the years crossed over to the BJP. Given the steady march of the party in the State — a process which has gained momentum after Mr Modi became the BJP's prime ministerial nominee — and the directionless approach of Congress leaders, both at the State and the central levels, Congress workers have begun to realise that they are in for a long, long exile from the seat of power. And, they are not happy about the prospect.
Meanwhile, the continuing consolidation of the BJP in Gujarat has received another boost with the Gujarat Parivartan Party's merger with it. The GPP had been floated by veteran leader Keshubhai Patel, a former Chief Minister of the BJP Government and a political heavyweight in the State. He had quit the BJP and taken on Mr Modi and his former party in the last Assembly election. But, after the fledgling GPP failed to make a mark, he retreated into the background and allowed his supporters to take a call on joining the BJP. The merger is a culmination of the wishes of a majority of his supporters and the State BJP’s desire to reach out and expand.