After a long gap of thirteen years, Gujarat BJP is all set to fight local self Government bodies’ election next month without Narendra Modi as Chief Minister and it would be a litmus test for his successor Anandiben Patel and local leadership of the BJP to prove them. BJP has been enjoying power in the State for two decades. Apart from State Government with 120 MlAs in the 182-member State legislative assembly.
The party is also controlling all eight Municipal Corporations, 30 out of 31 district panchayats, 150 out of 230 tehshil panchayats and 42 out of 56 municipalities. Besides, the party is also controlling flourishing co-operative sector, which was once dominated by the Congress party. BJP consolidated its position under the leadership of Narendra Modi in the last one decade. The party has won all the 26 lok Sabha seats of the State in the last parliamentary elections in May 2014.
However, it would be a great responsibility on the shoulders of State BJP leadership as well as Gujarat Chief Minster to carry forward Modi’s legacy by winning the upcoming local self Government bodies’ elections. The biggest challenge before the ruling BJP is to retain its traditional voters, especially Patels in wake of ongoing pro-quota agitation.
Patels forms nearly 20 per cent of the total voters in the State. Even OBC leaders have repeatedly shown their anger over the leniency towards the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) coordinator Hardik Patel and delay in his arrest. OBC forms more than 40 per cent of total voters in State.
The Chief Minister Anandiben Patel has categorically expressed her inability to give reservation to the Patels and other upper castes, putting forward the limitation on quota beyond 49 per cent imposed by the Supreme Court as the reason, the Congress, with an eye on taking advantage of the discontent among the upper castes, has advocated additional 15-20 reservation for economically weaker sections without compromising on the statutory reservation for OBCs, SC and ST.
Current president of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Bharatsinh Solanki is using the Patel agitation issue as his party’s poll plank and openly started saying that Congress would make reservation for economically weaker sections irrespective of caste and creed.
Discontent among over 650,000 Government employees recruited on fixed salary and contract basis is also being seen as challenge for the ruling BJP.
These employees, who include police constables, forest guards, school teachers, auxiliary nurse, peons and drivers, have launched a State-wide agitation under the banner of Gujarat Against System (GAS).