AHMEDABAD: Gujarat BJP is hoping to set a record by winning all 26 Lok Sabha seats for the third time in a row. It would not be tough for the BJP because the state is strongly polarized and urban voters are die-hard Hindutva supporters. The results of the 2022 assembly elections provide a solid foundation for repeating the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha outcomes since it won 156 seats in the assembly elections in December 2022.
Recently, while addressing party workers in Surat on Gujarati New Year's Day, BJP state unit president C R Patil said, "People are highly satisfied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's good governance and result-oriented practices, which will bring the party back to power with a thumping majority for the third term."
BJP had won 156 seats in assembly elections in December 2022. But, still, party workers and local leaders are keeping their fingers crossed and are worried that it is going to be a tough ride for them. The reason for this is likely an alliance between Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, if that happens, its strategy of dividing the Congress vote bank will fall flat. Not only that, but it will face a straight fight between Congress and BJP and on one or two seats between BJP and AAP.
According to party sources, its internal survey is hinting at OBC and tribal votes consolidating in favor of the Congress in the coming elections. Which will have a direct impact on at least two to three seats in North Gujarat, three seats in Central Gujarat, and one or two seats in Saurashtra. Especially it is afraid that if the Congress party's caste-based census poll planks work it will dent huge in its vote bank which it has gradually developed over two to three decades and created an image of party for all. Yet, Patidars have more say and control in the party, which can unite other backward, tribals and scheduled castes.
At the same time, party leaders argue that even if Congress focuses on caste census, in Gujarat, it may reap targeted results in the Congress's favour for two major reasons, first and foremost is that the party is not united, they don't have a strong, acceptable face from OBC, Scheduled Tribe and Schedule Castes.
On the other hand, Congress is yet not clear, whether the party state leaders will go by the national leadership view of alliance with the AAP or not.
After tribal leader Sukhram Rathva, even former state unit president and former Leader of the Opposition Arjun Modhvadia has voiced against any alliance with AAP in the state, but few party leaders are of the view that AAP is in the fray it will damage more than the alliance with it, because its presence in the elections as a third party, is not denting BJP vote bank but it is dividing the Congress party votes.
In the 2022 assembly elections, Congress has lost its seats heavily in tribal and OBC-dominated areas, because of AAP, to avoid any further damage, the alliance will help the Congress, believes a few leaders.