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Gujarat Elections 2017 | How BJP made inroads into Central Gujarat voters

In 2007 Assembly polls, the region excluding Vadodara city's three seats had 41 seats of which Congress got 22 seats and alliance party NCP got two seats, while BJP got 16 seats and one went to independent candidate.

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Central Gujarat, once a Congress' fort, is slipping from its hands gradually. The lower voting in Saurashtra has worried the ruling party and it now plans to compensate a part of its loss from central region of the state.

It is dominated by the Patel and Thakor (OBC) communities and both are going edge to edge having socio political importance in this region considering Kheda, Anand and some part of Vadodara districts, whereas tribal communities are big in number in Dahod, Panchmahals and Chhota Udepur districts.

In 2007 Assembly polls, the region excluding Vadodara city's three seats had 41 seats of which Congress got 22 seats and alliance party NCP got two seats, while BJP got 16 seats and one went to independent candidate.

After new delimitation, 35 seats excluding Vadodara's five urban seats were formed and first polls were held in 2012. BJP won 16 seats and an independent came in support to the party, while Congress and NCP alliance got 18 seats with Congress's 17 seats. This indicates that BJP gained in this region.

Looking at caste equations, 10 seats in central Gujarat are reserved for ST candidate and tribal voters have remained Congress supporters as seven candidates of party won here while BJP got three seats in 2012 polls. Senior Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh have kept visiting the area in the past to keep the vote bank intact.

The young leader of BJP and in-charge of this tribal belt in Dahod and Panchmahals district, Amit Thaker, said, "The situation in Dahod and Panchmahals is in favour of BJP this time. Local party workers have done a meticulous work here to swing the votes towards BJP. Former CM Modi has done a lot for this region."

The party is also claiming recovery in Kheda and Anand districts where Patel and OBC dominate. Hardik Patel led reservation agitation and Alpesh Thakor's movement here had little impact but locals have high regard for local leaders of their community and would vote for them.

Kheda MP Devusinh Chauhan said, "After 2007, BJP has emerged as popular party in these two districts. We started with local government bodies where BJP came to power. MLAs like Ramsinh Parmar and Mansinh Chahuan are senior leaders of Congress who defected to the BJP and now will help us get more seats in Central Gujarat."

Congress, however, has been trying to save its fort and pitch government's failure. The party does not agree that defection of two senior leaders would affect its prospects.

The vice-president of GPCC, Maulin Vaishnav, said, "No other factor matters as our president Bharatsinh Solanki belongs to this region. People from Central Gujarat love Congress and our leaders have good reputation here. We have been focusing over BJP government's failure in last 22 years. I foresee a great performance by Congress in Central Gujarat this time."

The land of Amul

The White Revolution began in form of Amul Dairy, a cooperative milk producing society, from this region. It is also the native of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and former CM of Gujarat, Madhavsinh Solanki, who had floated KHAM theory to finish dominance of  upper class  communities including Patel by uniting Kshatriya, Harijan(SC), Adivasi(ST) and Muslim communities.

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