Old friends stand up against each other

His wife Snehlata Chauhan was elected Surat mayor when she was with the BJP. But the couple joined the MJP in 2008 due to differences with Narendra Modi.

Gajera (56),a diamond merchant,was also in the BJS and had later joined the BJP after its formation. He remained with the party until 2007. During his BJP days,he was a municipal councillor and was elected MLA thrice. He was suspended after he was found involved in anti-party activities. He joined the Congress and fought the 2007 Assembly polls,but lost.

Darshana Zardosh (48) had joined the BJP in 1988. Till this year,she was the president of the women’s wing and had also won the municipal elections.

“The party high command has full faith in me and they have given me the chance to contest for the party. Both my rival candidates,Fakirbhai and Dhirubhai,were my seniors when I had joined the party and I have great respect for them,” she said.

Fakir Chauhan said: “Both the Congress and BJP candidates were my juniors in the past. I don’t have any conflict with Dhiru or Darshana,but our party ideologies are different. After holding various key posts in the BJP,people are my first priority; the party comes next. This helped me during my tenure as mayor when for the first time demolition was carried out in Surat. Upon my request,the people had supported me and cooperated.”

Gajera said: “My fight is with the BJP and not MJP. I don’t think MJP will harm us. Both the rival candidates were my friends. Our ideology is secularism,which both the BJP and MJP don’t have.”