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Radhanpur constituency in Banaskantha district is set to witness a
Mahabharata-like battle next month as Gujarat Chief Minister
Shankarsinh Vaghela makes a frantic bid to enter the Assembly by
taking on a determined Bharatiya Janata Party, which is out to
humble him and avenge its humiliation at his hand last year.
Significantly, the Congress is understood to have decided to
tacitly support Mr Vaghela by deciding against fielding a candidate
at Radhanpur.
All India Congress Committee General Secretary Ahmed Patel,
however, told The Observer of Business and Politics that Congress
President Sitaram Kesri had conveyed to Mr Vaghela that he was free
to discuss the issue of electoral support with the state party unit
and that the Congress high command would neither 'instruct nor
interfere' with the state unit's decision in the matter.
Mr Vaghela met the Congress President at New Delhi on Thursday in
the presence of senior Congress leader from the state, Amarsinh
Chaudhary, who had accompanied Mr Vaghela to Delhi.
Meanwhile, the BJP high command has decided to hand over the
party's election machinery at Radhanpur to Mr Narendra Modi - Mr
Vaghela's bete noire.
BJP Vice-president L K Sharma made no bones about the "prestige
issue" involved in the Radhanpur elections when he said that "we
will use our entire might to get Mr Vaghela defeated. The Gujarat
psyche does not tolerate defectors. So we stand a good chance even
before formal campaigning has begun. Central leaders will also go
for campaigning. However, party leadership will meet in Delhi soon
and give the strategy a final shape."
Mr Modi had emerged as a controversial Gujarat BJP leader in the
wake of the revolt by Mr Vaghela in September 1995. He was shunted
to Delhi as part of the compromise formula hammered out then.
Mr Modi's contempt for the rebel Khajuria leaders is legendary, and
the bulk of the cadres, particularly youths.' in the party, vibe
with him.
Former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel has also vowed to put up a
stiff fight to finish off Mr Vaghela politically. In the run-up to
the ensuing electioneering, he has already fired the first salvo by
proclaiming that "the people of Gujarat will defeat Mr Vaghela just
not from Radhanpur, but from anywhere he tries to contest.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad is also smarting under the decision of
the Vaghela Government to arrest of its state unit general
secretary Pravin Togadia for the infamous stadium incident in May
last year, and the organisation is mobilising hundreds of
sadhu-sants to defeat Mr Vaghela in the ensuing contest by using
the same tactics with which it humbled Mr Vaghela in the general
elections last year from the Godhra Lok Sabha constituency.
Meanwhile, Mr Vaghela has started wooing an important Congress
leader - Madhavsinh Solanki - whose faction has considerable
strength in Banaskantha district as well s in the Radhanpur
Assembly segment.
Mr Vaghela . called on Mr Solanki on Friday night at the latter's
residence at Gandhinagar and held preliminary discussions in the
matter. While Mr Solanki refused to say anything on record about
the Radhanpur by-polls, his staunch supporter and Lok Sabha member
from Banaskantha district, B K Gadhvi, made it clear to The
Observer of business and Politics that "we are determined to see
that the BJP is defeated in Radhanpur. There are no two, opinions
on this."
Mr Vaghela has wisely chosen Radhanpur assembly segment, one of the
most backward areas in the state, and dominated by OBCs, SCs and
minorities. It is a weak turf for the BJP, which did win a seat
even during its hay days when it captured power in March 1995.
However, the Congress has at least some base in the district.
Sounding upbeat, Mr Vaghela served notice on the BJP by proclaiming
that "the right-wing party had tried everything to finish me off,
yet failed. Let them try once again and hurl whatever they can
against me, and they will know the result after the fifth of next
month." Known for his organisational skills and meticulous
planning, Mr Vaghela had already tested the waters by making
sitting independent MLA, Lavingji Thakore, resign, though he had
won the seat in the 1995 state Selections by a margin of 307 votes,
defeating BJP nominee Memabhai Chaudhary.
The BJP is also not taking any chances for the final showdown. All
the three taluka panchayats in the constituency - Radhanpur,
Santalpur and Vavare on the Indo-Pakistan border - are, in fact,
controlled by the BJP. The five district panchayat seats are also
held by the BJP. So far, over 40 BJP legislators have also toured
the area, with each MLA visiting some villages. Several party MPs
have also toured the areas.
With firebrand VHP leaders like Sadhvi Rithambara and others set.
to join the campaign against Mr Vaghela, tempers are already
running high in the area, which has been declared drought-hit by
the Government.
All eyes will be on Radhanpur, which holds key for the future of
Gujarat politics.
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