BJP had won eight of the nine seats in Bhavanagar district in 2012 Assembly polls in the state
In Kathiawad area of Saurashtra, farmers complain about the absence of irrigation facilities and dip in cotton prices as political heavyweights contest and star campaigners trail blaze.
BJP had won eight of the nine seats in Bhavanagar district in 2012 Assembly polls in the state. However, there is a contest this time. As the dominant Koli community in Kathiawad appears inclined towards the BJP, it may have an edge, but Congress has also fielded Koli candidates in a number of assembly segments. The city is connected to all three-raid, rail and sea network. It is here that Prime Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the famous “roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro)” ferry service - a Rs 650-crore initiative in October, connecting Ghogha in Bhavnagar with Dahej in Surat and bringing down the travel time from 6 hours to one hour. Ghogha falls under Bhavnagar Gramya (rural) assembly seat from where BJP has fielded sitting MLA Parsottambhai Solanki and Congress Kantibhai Chauhan, both from the dominant Koli Patel community, whose vote will decide the election here.
DK Manral, CEO of Indigo Seaways, says, “The Ro-Ro ferry service has drastically cut travel time between Saurashtra and South Gujarat and has come as a great relief to businessmen and locals from both sides. Both points of travel—Gogha in Bhavnagar and Dahej in Bharuch — have been interlinked with bus services. He lauds PM Modi’s “vision” behind the project. Forty km away from Gogha on the Arabian sea coastline is Alang, world’s biggest ship-breaking yard, employing thousands of workers from Eastern UP, Bihar and Jharkhand.
Vikas Singh security in-charge of Ghaziabad Shipbreaker, a strong supporter of BJP, claims that most settlers from the region vote for BJP here. Ram Prakash Chouhan, a resident of Deoria rues, “We do not get the money for the kind of dangerous work we do..” He concedes that people come here as there are “no jobs” back home. Alang comes under Talaja assembly seat, where BJP’s Gautambhai Chauhan is fighting a Brahmin candidate Kanubhai Baraiya. The seat is with the BJP for last six elections.
BJP’s Shivabhai Gohil, who had won the seat 2014 assembly by-poll, has been dropped this time. This could create some trouble, admits a BJP worker Gautambhai Makwana. In 2012, it was won by Bharatiben Shyal. She later became a Lok Sabha MP from Bhavnagar in 2014 defeating the Congress candidate by a margin of around 3 lakh votes.
Before her, BJP’s Rajendrasinh Rana had won Bhavnagar LS seat for five consecutive term since 1991. The star assembly seat in the district is Bhavnagar West from where BJP state chief Jitubhai Vaghani is pitted against Congress’ old warhorse Dilip Singh Gohil after party’s Abdasa MLA face Shaktisinh Gohil was shifted to Mandvi in Kutch this election.
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