Congress’ twin problem in 2022 Gujarat elections: To tackle BJP & maintain vote financial institution intact, say specialists

By PTI

AHMEDABAD: The forthcoming Gujarat Assembly polls are more likely to be one of many hardest for the opposition Congress as it’s dealing with a twin problem – of defeating the ruling BJP within the residence state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defending its base from events just like the AAP and AIMIM, that are additionally attempting to make inroads into the state, say political specialists.

However, a state Congress spokesperson claimed folks will vote for his or her occasion, within the Gujarat elections due later this 12 months, as they’re fed up of the BJP’s “misrule” for over 20 years.

But, political observers really feel the Congress is tormented by a dearth of robust native leaders, infighting and depleting work drive within the state.

“This will be one of the toughest election for the Congress in Gujarat,” Rajkot-based political observer Suresh Samani informed PTI, noting the occasion has not received the state Assembly polls since 1995.

In 2017, the Congress received 77 seats within the 182-member Assembly, and a excessive vote share, largely on account of rural misery, he stated.

The BJP had received 99 seats within the Assembly within the final election.

“The farming community was not happy as it was not getting a good price for crop produce. In the last five years, the BJP government in the state purchased every farm produce, including commercial crops like groundnut, by paying a reasonably good return as the Minimum Support Price (MSP). The rural population now has nothing to complain about,” Samani stated.

Also, the city center class and better center class voters have stood firmly behind the BJP on account of numerous causes, together with Hindutva, regardless of the rising inflation, he stated.

“So, the Congress’s plan to make inroads into the state’s urban areas is not likely to make much headway,” he stated.

The Congress strongholds of north Gujarat and a few tribal area have additionally been breached as a lot of its robust leaders have crossed over to the BJP within the final 5 years.

“The Congress has a problem of depleting party work force and infighting, among others issues,” he stated.

The different problem earlier than the Congress is contenders just like the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Asaduddin Owaisi headed All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), that are additionally “vying for a pie of the traditional Congress vote bank,” he stated.

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AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, throughout his latest marketing campaign rallies in Gujarat, focused the Congress by interesting to voters to not waste their votes on the opposition occasion, claiming it can not defeat the BJP.

The AAP is eyeing to chop into the Congress’s vote share to problem the BJP, because it had performed in Delhi.

The Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) of Chotu Vasava has additionally introduced an alliance with the AAP to provide a struggle to the Congress for tribal votes.

AIMIM chief Owaisi just lately visited some Muslim-dominated constituencies in Ahmedabad, Vadgam in north Gujarat and Kutch with an goal to woo the minority neighborhood.

His occasion is aiming to open its account within the state Assembly in constituencies the place the Muslim inhabitants is relatively increased than different communities.

Another political observer Hari Desai stated the Congress may give the BJP a tricky struggle if it sticks to cater to the KHAM (Kshatriya, Harijan, Adivasi (tribal) and Muslim) vote financial institution and will get votes of disgruntled Patel neighborhood members.

The KHAM mixture of castes and communities was devised as a successful components by former Gujarat chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki.

“Parties like the AAP and the BTP can grab votes of the BJP and harm the ruling party equally, and not just the Congress,” Desai stated.

He additionally stated that the AIMIM is more likely to minimize the Congress’s votes within the state.

However, Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi claimed the folks of Gujarat had been fed up of the “arrogance and misrule” of the BJP for over 20 years and that it’s going to replicate within the 2022 Assembly elections as they’ll vote out the ruling occasion.

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“The Congress has formed a strategy, and the party’s central leadership is observing everything minutely and directing us on how to go about the polls. We have decided to make this election a fight against Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and BJP state unit president C R Paatil,” Doshi stated.

The Congress doesn’t need the state election to be a struggle between PM Narendra Modi and the opposition occasion, he added.

On the AAP and different events additionally gearing as much as contest the Gujarat polls, Congress nationwide spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil stated a 3rd occasion has by no means succeeded within the state.

“Since its formation, Gujarat has seen contests only between the Congress and the BJP and it will remain so. The AAP will not be able to cut ice with the people of Gujarat,” he claimed.