AHMEDABAD: For the first time in 22 years, the BJP in Gujarat is facing serious internal resistance over five of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the run-up to the May 7 polls. What initially started as dissent in one of the constituencies has now spread to about half a dozen others, including Sabarkantha, Rajkot, Vadodara, and Valsad districts, posing a challenge for the party.
To make matters worse, circulating on social media is a letter to the BJP state president urging a change in the party’s candidate for the Junagadh constituency. In the viral letter addressed to state BJP president CR Patil, a Jan Sangh worker has highlighted various concerns about BJP candidate Rajesh Chudasama.
“He has not done a single worth mentioning developmental work in Junagadh, nor has he taken any interest in conveying the central and state government schemes to the beneficiaries,” reads the letter. In the wake of the resistance from local leaders, the party candidate in Vadodara, Ranjan Bhatt, was replaced. However, there is growing demand to replace the new candidate, Dr Hemang Joshi.
Sources indicate that several BJP workers question Joshi’s roots, claiming that he was in the state for education and that his involvement with the party was only for three years. Expressing dissent, a BJP worker criticised Joshi on social media. During a live stream featuring state BJP president CR Patil, the worker commented, “It is an insult to Vadodara’s women’s power; first, they were given the ticket and then withdrawn. What has he contributed to the party?”
Yet, BJP candidate Hemang Joshi asserted that “There is no discontent within the BJP”. As of now, the controversy concerning the candidacy in Sabarkantha remains unresolved. A meeting was convened at the Chief Minister’s residence earlier in the day to deliberate on the Sabarkantha candidate.
On Friday, state Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi visited Sabarkantha amid protests against the BJP’s nominated candidate, Shobnaben Baraiya. After this visit, sources suggest that the Home Minister submitted a report to the state president and chief minister. Despite BJP candidate Rupala issuing two apologies for his remarks concerning the Rajput community, efforts persist within the community to seek a change in the candidate for Rajkot. On Saturday, the Rajput community gave a memorandum to the Gandhinagar collector and also urged the BJP to reconsider their choice.
Kshatriya leader quits Gujarat BJP over Rupala’s remarks about community
Kshatriya community leader Raj Shekhawat on Saturday resigned from the BJP in protest against Union Minister and Rajkot Lok Sabha candidate Parshottam Rupala’s remarks earlier. Rupala, while speaking at a public event, had claimed several Rajput rulers collaborated with the British, a statement that drew widespread condemnation from community members. Shekhawat is also national president of a faction of the Karni Sena, an outfit of the Rajput or Kshatriya community. He said he was resigning from the primary membership of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party with immediate effect. Shekhawat said that he had joined the BJP ahead of the Assembly polls for “the welfare of the community and Sanatan Dharma”.