Godhra: Here the issue is Godhra

Historically, whenever polling has been heavy in Muslim-dominated areas, non-BJP parties have done well; when the minorities stayed at home, BJP fortunes soared. While the Hindu vote is fragmented by the caste factor, the Muslim vote has always been against the BJP.

With there being no doubt about the main poll issue — developmental issues are in real danger of being sidelined completely here — ‘‘it will be north against south,’’ predicts a local Muslim advocate. ‘‘For instance, Soni mohalla in the north of the township will vote for the BJP, while Goya mohalla in the south will go to the Congress.’’

Political parties are only too aware of the reinforced communal divide. Says local BJP leader Kukul Pathak, ‘‘The issue clearly is Hindutva. What happened on February 27 is something that cannot be erased from the minds of the people.’’ The local Congress has the same view, but puts it differently. Says Godhra town Congress chief Yaqoob Bhatuk, ‘‘When Muslims go to vote, the aftermath of the carnage will be decisive.’’

The statements are borne out in the Muslim-dominated Polan Bazar and Singal Falia, where there is no campaigning, no hustling for votes, not even any animated discussion on the nominees. ‘‘If if the party puts up a dog, the community will vote for the Congress,’’ says Ramzan Bhana of Polan Bazar.

The professionals in the community believe the extreme polarisation will definitely impact the polls. ‘‘Don’t be surprised if there is 100 per cent voting among Muslims here. Even if the Congress doesn’t campaign here, people will go out to vote,’’ says advocate Y A Charkha.

For the Muslim on the street, it is a question of survival. ‘‘The BJP does not like us. They believe every Muslim in Godhra is responsible for February 27. If the party come back to power, they will go all out to decimate us. We’ll try every which way to ensure the party does not win from here,’’ say says a panshop owner in Polan Bazar.

Similarly heightened sentiments, though at the other end of the spectrum, are commonplace in the Hindu-dominated localities. ‘‘If the Godhra carnage is not an issue in Godhra, then where it will be. We will vote for the government that will punish the perpetrators of the Godhra carnage,’’ says Jaysukh Soni. ‘‘I admit there has hardly been any development work in this town, but this election, nobody will vote for these extraneous reasons.’’

The divide is so sharp that encashing it politically is a simple task. Even as the reported allotment of party tickets to VHP activists divides the BJP, Parishad members believe that eventually they’ll have to campaign for an ‘outsider’. ‘‘They have no option — otherwise the seat will go to the Congress. It will be most humiliating for the locals if Godhra rejects the BJP. After all, it is the BJP which is talking of punishing the perpetrators of the carnage,’’ says a VHP functionary in Godhra.