Patan’s ‘Modi fans’, Dahod’s ‘change seekers’ vote today

Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Patan, December 13

As Gujarat readies to cast its ballot in the second phase of polling for 93 seats of north and central Gujarat tomorrow, the bipolar contest between the BJP and the Congress saw hectic activity at the party headquarters throughout the day today.

As party workers readied for the D-day, the BJP is looking to retain power in a state it has ruled for 22 years, while the Congress is hoping to ride on the wave of change and acute anti-incumbency.

The public, from Patan to Dahod, has its own reasons for supporting either of the two parties. A farmer in Patan, Ishwar Desai, a die-hard fan of PM Narendra Modi, says: “He is a Gujarati and that is all that matters. He never lies and fulfills all he commits to. His every action, including demonetisation, has been in the nation’s interest. He has nothing to gain.”

If Patan comes across as a BJP stronghold, the tribals in Dahod are vociferous in condemning the BJP for “lop-sided” development. “We have had enough of BJP’s lip-service. It’s high on talks and low on delivery. Change is the only way forward. Only the Congress can deliver the state now,” remarks Raman Dehda of Abhlod in Dahod.

In Anand’s Boriavi, Rasik Purshotta, a farm worker, rues: “Modi talks of bullet trains and takes away agricultural land in the name of development. We are poor and have never sat in the Shatabdi. What attraction does a bullet train hold for us? Let him leave our land alone. This is why the Congress is our party of choice.”

If scams and growing unemployment are an issue against the government, Magan bhai who attended Modi’s rally in Haalol in Vadodra is bowled over by Modi’s oratory skills.

“Nobody stands a chance before him. He is one man who can set any house in order and he keeps tabs on the Gujarat Government’s working. Nobody can hoodwink him. Besides, Gujarat has been peaceful since the BJP came to power,” he justifies.

Countering this argument, Manu bhai and Sunita, working in their maize fields in Dabra in Dahod, remark: “The Congress is a secular party. Obviously there have been no clashes in Gujarat since the BJP took over because they are the ones who build up the tension.”

While the Modi fans can’t see beyond him and the BJP makes a show of all it does, the Congress supporters are lying low and waiting to declare their commitment only on the polling day through their votes.

In Patan, they refused to speak about the fate of election and chose not to make any comment on why they favour the party of their choice. “We fear being identified. We will only cast our vote. We don’t want to talk,” a tailor stated.

When Gujarat votes tomorrow, people will vote based on the degree of Modi-deification, the percentage of disappointment, the weight of anti-incumbency, the faith of delivery and the need for change. The permutation and combination of this mix of sentiments will decide the next government in Gujarat when counting takes place on December 18.