AHMEDABAD: Former IPS officer Manoj Ninama, who chose voluntary retirement just two days ago, joined the BJP on Thursday and walked out with a ticket to contest in the upcoming Gujarat local body polls. Firebrand farmer leader Raju Karpada has also switched sides from AAP to BJP signaling a strategic consolidation in tribal and rural vote banks.
In the BJP’s candidate list released on April 9, Ninama was named the party’s face from the ‘Aud’ seat of Aravalli district.
Ninama, a 2006-batch IPS officer who was due to retire on May 31, opted for voluntary retirement and got government approval on April 7. He joined the BJP on Thursday, and within three hours, he received a ticket. The speed of the transition stunned political observers. From uniform to saffron, Ninama’s shift was strategic.
And with local body elections around the corner, his induction is being read as a calculated move to strengthen the party’s grip over the tribal belt.
Ninama said, “Now I want to fulfill my responsibility towards society.” “I felt the need for a political platform to work in education and health,” he added. Once a fierce face of agrarian protests and a former member of the Aam Aadmi Party, Raju Karpada formally joined the BJP at the ‘Kamalam’ headquarters in Gandhinagar.
Karpada’s journey has been anything but ordinary. Rising from the fields of Surendranagar’s Chotila region, he carved his identity through relentless agitations on cotton prices, groundnut rates, and crop insurance. His activism even led him to jail multiple times earning him the tag of a fiery young voice in Saurashtra politics.
But that fire now burns in a different direction. “I joined politics with a dream to build a strong farmers’ organization,” Karpada said, reflecting on his journey. “But opposing the ruling party cannot solve farmers’ problems permanently. To bring real change, one must be part of power,” he asserted.
“By joining the BJP government, I can take farmers towards prosperity. Today, I have joined to fulfill their dreams,” he said, while also acknowledging the Rs 10,000 crore relief package for unseasonal rains as a step forward.
Yet, he stopped short of ambition at least publicly. “I will not ask for a ticket. The party will decide,” Karpada remarked.
Two entries. Two narratives. One direction. As Gujarat heads toward local body elections, BJP appears to be stitching together a broader coalition one that blends administrative experience with street-level influence.