The Kshatriya-dominated Dholera township in Dhandhuka Tehsil and constituency, which PM Narendra Modi planned to develop into a world class city is a complex maze of prosperity, caste pride and farmers' protest.
While the ancient port-city in the Gulf of Khambhat is waking up to a slush of investments from developers after the then Gujarat CM Modi conceptualised to develop it into the country's first and only Smart Component City, the residents of Dholera were up in arms against any screening of the contentious Hindi movie 'Padmavati'.
'All the Chudasma Kshatriya samaj members have met the BJP leadership here telling them in clear terms that the movie should not be be screened in any city or village till its controversial aspects are not resolved," Vivek Ramanuj, a civil engineer from the village said.
A few months ago, a peasants' body Khedut Samaj (Gujarat) protested on the issue of irrigation and wrote to CM Vijay Rupani against what they called was the "refusal"of the officials to provide Narmada waters to farm fields in Dholera.
Ghanshyam Singh, a kirana shop owner here said, "Since the Dholera Special Investment Region Development Authority (SIRDA) project came, rentals have shot up with the influx of professionals from outside."
He remembers before the ship breaking yard got shifted to Alang, the work helped the villagers. The SIR Act provides the framework for converting 22 villages of the area into an industrial hub. The government will take 50% land from each household and use that to develop roads and power, so the value of the remaining land will significantly improve.
Both BJP and Congress have fielded candidates from the same community. While BJP has repeated its sitting MLA Lajjibhai Patel, Congress has experimented with a local lawyer Rajesh Koli in the seat which was represented by the powerful BJP leader Bharat Pandya twice in 1998 and 2002. Gujarat's 13th CM Dilip Parikh had also won from the seat in 1995 from the same party earlier. He was defeated in 1998 by Pandya when Parikh deserted BJP and contested on a ticket from Shankersinh Vaghela's All India Rashtriya Janata Party.
The Kshatriyas of Dholera betray a clear support for BJP but it is Kolis, which will be more crucial in deciding the outcome of the Dhanduka Assembly seat.
Dhanduka is a BJP bastion where Congress had won the seat last in 1985. Besides the seat being a traditional BJP strong, rebel factor could be a problem here for Congress as Rajesh Koli was not the natural choice of the local party unit.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Dholera")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}