AHMEDABAD: BJP’s Vadodara president Dr Vijay Shah stirred a controversy by asserting that booths with lower voter turnout in the last three elections will not qualify for financial assistance. He made the controversial statement during a ceremony held to honour the newly elected MP Hemang Joshi in the Raopura assembly.
“Whether it’s the 2019 elections, the 2020 corporation polls, the 2022 assembly elections, or the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP consistently gets votes from the same type of booths,” Dr Shah said. “Conversely, there are booths where the party repeatedly gets fewer votes, sometimes in single digits, whether it’s 700 or 800 people voting. Party leaders and elected representatives should consider which areas to prioritise based on the voting pattern.”
“Our budget should not be spent in areas that have not voted for us in the past five, ten, or fifteen years. We should focus on the areas where people vote in large numbers,” he added. His statement has drawn condemnation from the Gujarat Congress. Even Yogesh Patel, BJP’s senior MLA from Manjalpur in Vadodara, also expressed his displeasure. BJP MLA Yogesh Patel stated, “Vijaybhai is our president, and those are his personal views, which led him to make such a statement. Politics should not be conducted with hatred towards voters. I completely disagree with city president Vijay Shah’s statement.”
He added, “We do not discriminate based on caste. All communities have an equal right to development. There is no BJP, Congress, or party politics for development. Despite there being no Muslim MLA in the city to date, I have united all communities and served all voters. I have also worked for those who did not vote for me.”
Equal right for all
BJP’s senior MLA Yogesh Patel said he does not discriminate based on caste. All communities have an equal right to development.” Despite there being no Muslim MLA in city to date, I have united all and served all voters.”