Lok Sabha Elections: Dissent over BJP candidates grows in Gujarat

Ruling Bharatiya Kanata Party (BJP) is facing some serious resistance against its Lok Sabha candidate in its citadel Gujarat, arguably for the first time in its electoral history.
While resistance towards Shobhna Baraiya who replaced Bhikhaji Thakor in Sabarkantha is getting aggressive by days, the Kshatriya community across the state is up in arms against Union Minister Parshottam Rupala who is contesting from Rajkot for his comment allegedly denigrating the community.

Baraiya was fielded after controversy erupted over the caste identity of Bhikhaji Thakor, BJP’s initial candidate for Sabarkantha. She, for the records happens to be the wife of Mahendrasinh Baraiya former Congress MLA who joined BJP in August 2022. Thakor’s supporters had observed a bandh in his support in Meghraj town in Aravalli district on Tuesday and the party workers in large numbers had reached the BJP office in Modasa to protest necessitating strong security arrangements.

On Wednesday, they called for a road blockade near Shamlaji and situation worsened in Idar, where tribal party workers alleged that the MLA Ramanlal Vora used unparliamentary words against district health committee chairman Anasuya Gameti when the workers were expressing their dissent against Baraiya’s candidature and sought a public apology from him.

The workers continued to protest against Baraiya even on Thursday and Baraiya had to leave BJP office in Modasa through the backdoor.

Meanwhile the Kshatriya community is protesting against Union Minister Parshottam Rupala, who had commented that the kings had bowed before the alien tormentors and retained relationships with them unlike the lower castes, during an event organised by the Valmiki community on March 22.

However, he had issued an apology for hurting the sentiments of the people on the next day, but the Kshatriya Community has so far refused to accept the same and has been demanding that Rupala be dropped as a candidate by BJP. On Thursday, Gujarat BJP President CR Patil rushed to Rajkot and held a series of meetings with party workers for damage control. Several other BJP Kshatriya leaders have been deployed to contain the situation.

Unrest has also sparked off in Surendranagar seat where sitting Mahendra Munjpara has been replaced by Chad Sihora a former Congressman from Chuvaliya Kofi community leaving the Talpada Kolis fuming, who are demanding that a candidate be fielded from their community. (Chuvaliya and Talpada are sub communities of the greater Kali Community who have a sizeable presence across Gujarat).

Meanwhile Vadodara is continuing to simmer with the new candidate and resistance is also brewing against Dhaval Patel in Bharuch. BJP’s fielding of turncoat Congress MLAs in assembly bi-polls have not helped the situation and the Bijapur Taluka President has resigned after CJ Chavda was given ticket from Bijapur.

Senior BJP worker and BJP’s talk president from Bijapur Govind Patel had resigned from the party protesting the fielding of an ‘outsider’ candidate denying the opportunity to the original BJP workers.