Ahead of the forthcoming electoral showdown in Gujarat on May 7, fervent campaigning from contenders Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has surged within the state.
Mallikarjun Kharge, the principal figure of Congress, along with the notable advocate Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, are slated to canvass for party aspirants across Gujarat’s Rajkot, Ahmedabad, and Banaskantha constituencies on May 4. Their mission: to repel the assaults launched by Prime Minister Modi, who embarked on a campaign trail in the state on May 1, punctuating his presence with rallies on successive days.
Gujarat, a domain comprising 26 Lok Sabha seats, recently witnessed an uncontested victory for the BJP candidate in the Surat constituency. Nevertheless, the Congress has hurled accusations at the ruling party, alleging foul play in orchestrating the outcome. The ballot ballet for the remaining 25 seats is scheduled for May 7, with the cacophony of campaigning expected to simmer down by May 5.
“Mallikarjun Kharge, at the helm of our party, will orchestrate dual rallies in Rajkot and Ahmedabad come May 3. Preceding the rally in Ahmedabad, a press colloquium will ensue,” remarked AICC’s Gujarat overseer, BM Sandeep Kumar, to ETV Bharat. Concurrently, Priyanka Gandhi is slated to address a rally in Banaskantha on the very same day.
Intriguingly, the traditional electoral scrimmage in Gujarat, historically confined to the Congress-BJP dichotomy, has now witnessed the Congress forming an alliance with AAP in 2024, vying for the Bharuch and Bhavnagar constituencies.
Steering the BJP’s electoral juggernaut is PM Modi, Gujarat’s erstwhile chief luminary, who, on a recent sojourn, declared, “Congress’s obsolescence here resonates with Pakistan’s lamentations there. Pakistan yearns for an enfeebled Indian government, reminiscent of the pre-2014 era, a regime under whose aegis the Mumbai terror siege transpired.”
PM Modi’s vocalization found resonance in Banaskantha and Sabarkantha constituencies on May 1. At Banaskantha, he castigated Congress for peddling disinformation. “The party that commandeered the nation’s helm for six decades now operates as a factory of falsehoods. Their purported Emporium of Affection is naught but a fabrication mill. Congress’s visual narratives are counterfeit, their verbal proclamations spurious, their pledges illusory, their slogans specious, their motives fallacious,” expounded the PM.
He further asseverated, “The plight of Congress, a stalwart of six decades, is disconcerting. They overtly endeavor to foster discord within the nation. Congress and its INDI coalition’s sole stratagem is to foment disorder and instability. Their intent: to kindle conflagration nationwide, regardless of the repercussions, all in a bid to vilify Modi. This was evident even amidst the pandemic, the gravest crisis our nation faced. When we introduced the CAA legislation, they stoked the flames of dissent anew.”
In retaliation, Congress countered, “The PM’s aspersions against us are mendacious. Our manifesto advocates egalitarianism, extending beyond the confines of any singular community. He seeks to inject polarization into the electoral narrative, invoking extraneous issues such as Pakistan. If their conviction was unwavering, why resort to subverting nominations in Surat?” remarked Sandeep Kumar.
Allegations from Congress didn’t cease there; they indicted rampant narcotics trafficking in the state, alongside decrying the widespread falsification of land records that have detrimentally impacted myriad households in Gujarat, a region long beset by acute water scarcity.
While Delhi’s Chief Executive, Arvind Kejriwal, embroiled in a liquor imbroglio, inaugurated AAP’s Gujarat crusade from Vadodara on March 16, his spouse, Sunita Kejriwal, is slated to spearhead the campaign in the western precincts on May 2, championing the party’s contenders. Simultaneously, party cadres engage in grassroots canvassing in contested constituencies and beyond.
Notably, the Rajkot constituency, where Union Minister Parshottam Rupala squares off against Congress contender Paresh Dhanani, has gained notoriety due to inflammatory remarks from the BJP luminary, eliciting ire from Gujarat’s Rajput community at large. On May 1, a sprawling Rajput conclave convened in Anand, pledging allegiance to Congress nominees. Meanwhile, in Anand, CLP leader Amit Chavda contests against BJP’s incumbent MP Mitesh Patel. In Banaskantha, Congress’s Geniben Thakor vies with BJP’s Rekha Chaudhary in a closely contested showdown.
