Non-violence is a non-issue in the birthplace of Mahatma

Take Hiralal Gagan Shiyal alias Hiku Gagan or simply, `Bhai’. He has 30 criminal cases against his name. Here’s the break-up of the important one, according to the police: five murder cases, six attempts to murder, four instances of illegal possession of arms and nine cases of anti-social activities. He is contesting on Shankersinh Vaghela’s Rashtriya Janata Party (RJP) ticket and is confident of winning the seat.

Close on his heels is former MLA Bhurra Munja. He has 20 casesagainst him and has been imprisoned under TADA for over a year. He is in the fray again as an Independent.

The others, including former MLA and BJP candidate Babubhai Bhokiriya, have similar records with cases ranging from bootlegging and illegal possession of arms to anti-social activities.

In this coastal town where the man who charted the course of India’s destiny was born, the line dividing politics and the mafia is very thin. Ganglords who used to pump in gun power and money into politics and control it from outside have now decided to do it themselves. Some say the shift was necessitated by consistent crackdowns by the police which made crime a not-so-lucrative business.

If the ganglords are not contesting the elections themselves, they are throwing their weight behind parties. So the BJP has the support of Bhima Dhula, a much feared gang leader with 34 cases against him. He is known to have once shot five persons in a fit of rage. Another gang leader, Naran Mepa, is supporting the Congress.

Thecampaign is hardcore Bollywood stuff. Candidates move around with goons surrounding them. They don’t allow the voter to come near the candidate, their `Bhai’. Candidates threaten each other in public and plan their campaigns so that their paths don’t cross.

Queues of Fords, Cielos, Esteems and Sumos mark their rallies and mirror their wealth. When a public meeting has to be arranged, their men move to the fishing villages, round up people, bring them to the venue and pay them the day’s wages. A recent Hiku Gagan rally was attended by 1,500 workers from Porbandar Port.

The more politicised among the candidates have divided the electorate on caste lines. Hiku Gagan has a hold over the Kharvas, the fishing community of Porbandar. It is his bastion and the 10,000-odd strong community will vote for him either out of loyalty or fear. “They are all very loyal to me and they won’t think of anyone else,” he told The Indian Express. “To them, it does not matter whether I have a criminal record or not. Iam their representative and they have faith in me. Besides, none of the cases against me has been proved.”

Similarly, Independent candidate Bhurra Munja has the support of his community — the Mehrs.

Survival is tough for candidates with a clean past. The CPI’s Champaklal Joshi and the Congress’ Arjun Modvadia are considered `saints’ compared to their rivals. They have to move around under heavy protection usually shielded by supporters who are threatened with dire consequences. The result: campaigning is a low-key affair for the Congress, the CPI, the Janata Dal and some Independent candidates. “Jo dar gaya woh mar gaya,”says Modvadia, who is a member of the senate and syndicate of Saurashtra University. “The pressure in the form of threats, muscle and money power from these gang lords is so intense that it is easy to break. A couple of phone calls keep supporters and key campaigners confined at home. But we are trying,” says Modvadia.