Gujarat Elections 2017: The Three Musketeers of Gujarat - Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor.
(Rahul Gandhi Vs. Narendra Modi) Who Will Win? BJP or Congress?
#GujaratElections2017
Gujarat will go to the polls on December 9 and 14 to elect 182 MLAs. This time, the elections have a different flavour with several leaders challenging the BJP which has been governing the state since 1995.
Though the Congress is in the picture, it has been bolstered by the presence of Patidar Andolan Anamat Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel extending support to the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress.
Apart from Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani, who leads a Dalit movement in the state, and Alpesh Thakor who rceently joined the Congress are other youth leaders making waves.
Caste enters the picture stronger this time. The Patel votebank, which has been traditionally with the BJP, is looking elsewhere for patronage since the BJP did not grant Other Backward Class (OBC) status for the Patels. Remember the massive Patidar agitation two years ago? Hardik Patel formed the PAAS for the express task of demanding OBC status for Patel community.
The Dalit disaffection seems to be another challenge for the incumbent BJP.
In the wake of the Una incident, where four Dalit youth were beaten up in July 2016, Gujarat witnessed a massive Dalit consolidation.
Jignesh Mevani, a social activist and a lawyer, became the face of the Dalit movement. One of his famous slogans for the movement is 'Gaay ki poonch tum rakho hume hamaari jameen do'.
The third challenge is from the OBC group which is led by OBC leader Alpesh Thakor. He is expected to dent the BJP in key northern Gujarat districts.
There is a history of caste politics in Gujarat. In 1980 and 1985, the Congress achieved two back-to-back victories with the KHAM votebank. KHAM stands for Kshatriyas, Harijans, Adivasis and Muslims.
OBCs, Patidars and Dalits make up more than half the population in Gujarat. Can they unseat the BJP in Gujarat?
The last week of November onwards BJP leaders including PM Modi campaigned relentlessly in Gujarat to prevent just that.
Script: Shubham Mishra
Editing by Satish Kumar
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