Party moves Modi to a safer seat, just in case

In fact, Keshubhai walked out of Modi’s official residence late this evening where a meeting was being held to finalise the second list. He is said to have been angry over Modi’s insistence that Pandya not be given a ticket there—Modi is learnt to have threatened that he won’t contest the elections if Pandya is given the ticket.

Pandya and Modi have had major spats, and now Modi wants the Ellisbridge ticket to go to Surendra Patel, the AUDA chairman considered close to him.

That the differences are serious were evident when party spokesman and Modi’s shadow in Gujarat, Arun Jaitley, rushed to Ahmedabad in the evening. Jaitley spent time with Modi and then met Patel at his residence.

As for Modi’s choice, Maninagar, it’s considered safer on two counts. One, unlike Rajkot, it has no significant presence of Patels. It’s a community he is unsure of given the animosity between him and Keshubhai. Two, at a time when he is pinning his hopes on communal polarisation, a traditional “Hindu seat” is seen as the safest bet.

Sources say BJP chief M Venkaiah Naidu shot down the proposal to field Modi from two constituencies, arguing that it would imply the party wasn’t confident of his prospects in one. That wouldn’t, he said, augur well for the self-proclaimed Chhote Sardar.

Incidentally, the list — which has two former MPs, three former MLAs and seven women — doesn’t include Keshubhai Patel’s home constituency of Visavadar in Junagadh district.

Though the candidate for Godhra hasn’t been announced, rumours of the ticket going to a senior VHP activist from Ahmedabad kicked off protests within the party. More than 1,000 supporters of a former Rajya Sabha MP, Gopalsinh Solanki, sat on dharna at the Panchmahals party headquarters in Godhra and warned that the agitation will be stepped up tomorrow.

Asked about the number of tickets alloted to VHP leaders, BJP general secretary Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, ‘‘None.’’ VHP vice-president Giriraj Kishore put it the other way. He told The Indian Express this evening that ‘‘whosoever wants to contest has to relinquish our membership.’’

Naqvi said Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee heads the battery of party leaders who would campaign for the party nominees, ending speculation that he may stay away. Sources said the Prime Minister is expected to keep off Godhra and the carnage that followed in his campaign speeches.

Meanwhile, protestors from Patan created a ruckus in Gandhinagar’s ministerial enclave. Some 500 of them — including office-bearers of the party’s city and district units — raised slogans outside Modi’s official bungalow. Said Patan BJP city unit chief Mukesh Patel, ‘‘Everyone knows Modi is close to Anandiben Patel, and that’s why she has been allowed to change from her old Mandal constituency and contest from Patan. If the decision is not reviewed, we will not tolerate it.’’

BJP Patan Yuva Morcha leader Manoj Patel said, ‘‘Office-bearers of taluka, city, and district units will resign en masse.’’

Said Jayesh Modi, the Patan municipality vice-president, ‘‘Almost everyone — BJP councillors, party workers — had petitioned for Mohanbhai’s candidature. But it has been overruled — obviously because Anandiben is close to Modi.’’

He added: ‘‘There are over 39,000 Levua Patel voters in the 1.62 lakh Patan Assembly segment. We will field an Independent candidate from this community to ensure Anandiben’s defeat at the hustings. Even the teachers of this region are not happy with her.’’