The Congress and the BJP, perceive psychological as well as political significance in commanding the Rajkot Lok Sabha constituency.
The two main political parties in Gujarat, the Congress and the BJP, perceive psychological as well as political significance in commanding the Rajkot Lok Sabha constituency. Indeed, Rajkot is the social, political and economic capital of Saurashtra.
The party that wins Rajkot acquires an edge over its rivals because the swing in Rajkot often presages the electoral outcome of other seats, including those of the local bodies.
The BJP has been holding the Rajkot Lok Sabha constituency for the past five terms, and is the dominant force in urban areas. The Congress is stronger in rural areas.
As for the contenders for the forthcoming polls, neither party wants to be hasty in its selection.
The parties recognise that only a rigorously vetted candidate will be able to win over Rajkot's extremely finicky and caste-sensitive voters. It is certain, however, that the BJP will not field its sitting MP, Dr Vallabh Kathiria who has served four terms and was a former Union minister of state.
Kathiria had clashed with chief minister Narendra Modi and had been accused of undermining the party's cause. And it appears that Kathiria's subsequent apology did not mollify Modi, who wants to punish the MP by denying him a ticket. So the BJP is searching for new candidates, and its options include Dhansukh Bhanderi, a former mayor who comes from the younger generation of the BJP leadership; Ramesh Rupapara, a local leader; or Chandu Shingala.
The BJP has been ruling the Rajkot Municipal Corporation since 2005; prior to that, it had been a Congress stronghold for eight years. At present, the Rajkot district panchayat is controlled by the Congress, which also rules seven of the 14 taluka panchayats. The other seven are under the BJP.
The delimitation of the Lok Sabha constituencies has changed the assembly-segment map of the constituency. Now, two of the seven assembly segments are with the Congress, and five are BJP domains. The Congress hopes that in the Lok Sabha polls, the Musilm- and Koli-dominated Wankaner seat, and the Koli-dominated Jasdan assembly seat, which the party currently controls, will give it a winning edge. For its part, the BJP is trying to break Congress's influence over the areas by propping up local leaders.
The Congress, on the other hand, is seeking a strong candidate who can appeal to urban as well as rural voters. Although few are willing to take up the challenge, the buzz suggests that the party's favoured choices include Jasdan MLA Kuvarji Bavaliya, Dr. Hemang Vasavada, and hotelier Haribhai Patel.
In 2004, the Congress sacrificed the Rajkot seat to aid the NCP. However, the NCP candidate, Balvant Manvar, lost by a 26.72% margin. The total voter turnout in 2004 was only 32.64%, and the BJP's Kathiria got 59.52% of the votes polled.
After a short stint in the Congress after leaving the NCP, Manvar joined the BJP for the 2007 assembly elections. Given that history, no local Congress leader wants the party to accommodate the NCP this time.
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