Gujarat Bypoll: BJP wins Rajkot-West Assembly seat

Then known as Rajkot-II Assembly seat, it was from here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had contested and won first election of his career in 2002 to enter Gujarat Assembly after becoming chief minister of the state for the first time in 2001. BJP Veteran Vaju Vala was elected MLA from this seat seven time without a defeat until he resigned in August this year following his appointment as governor of Karnataka. Vala’s resignation had warranted the bye-election and polling was held on Wednesday. The turnout had remained low at 49.32 per cent.

Both the parties had ran high-voltage campaigns punctuated by dramatic events like burning of a Congress election office in Gandhigram area, arrest of a prominent BJP worker from the central election office of Rupani and an FIR against a prominent Congress worker for allegedly distributing pamphlets attacking character of the BJP candidate. Besides Chief Minister Anandi Patel, several ministers her cabinet and scores of party MPs and MLAs had campaigned for Rupani, who is incumbent chairman of Gujarat Municipal Finance Board (GMFB). However, BJP seemed on the back-foot when Congress made law and order its poll plank and the incident of arrest of BJP worker from Rupani’s office seemed to punctuate its war cry.

But the result of the bypoll left Congress searching for answers while raising profile of Rupani. “People did not get misled by the negative propaganda of Congress. Instead people have given answer and shown Congress its place. The healthy lead that we have secured shows that their card of castism did not work. This is a victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dominance and his popular agenda of development,” a beaming Rupani said after he was declared winner formally.

The senior BJP leader, who was contesting first major poll of his career, said Congress had no right to talk of law and order as no untoward incident had been reported from anywhere in Rajkot city during Navratri when women used to roam alone till 2 am but Congress leaders had been murdered in broad daylight when the party was in power in the state.

Kalariya conceded defeat but said his party would take a lot of heart from the results. “I got lot of love from people and fought very hard. However, I respect the verdict of people. There was anger among people and we could not traslate it into votes. However, we cut their lead of 85,000 from this seat during Lok Sabha to around 25,000. We shall continue fighting by raising law and order situation, provision of drinking water and cleanliness,” said the 70-year-old Congressman who was a minister in Gujarat government during late 1980.

Rajkot West posh areas of the city and and is the constituency dominated by Kadva Patel voters. Congress had sought to trump the BJP by playing the caste card. It had thrown old guard Kalariya, a Kadva Patel, in the contest. A builder by profession, Kalariya had not fought a single election in almost three decades after his maiden victory in 1986. Indicating BJP’s nervous over the issue, Rupani was overheard pacifying his workers whenever electronic voting machines (EVMs) from polling stations dominated by Patels were opened for vote counting.

The bypoll victory is likely to raise Rupani’s profile further. The 58-year-old share-broker, who has also served as mayor of Rajkot, has worked extensively for BJP party organisation. Hinting at some dissatisfaction over Rupani’s decisions, Gujarat BJP chief Ranchhod Faldu had told partymen that Rupani had acted in the interest of the party as general secretary and had appealed party workers to unit for the bypoll.

“I shall try to address core issues of Rajkot city and Saurashtra region. Making provision of enough drinking water will be my top priority. I shall also try to solve issues of farmers of Saruashtra,” Rupani said while outlining his agenda as an MLA.
Vala had won from Rajkot West by 24,978 votes during Gujarat Assembly elections in 2012. Mohan Kundariya of the BJP had polled 85,868 vote more than his Congress rival and then sitting MP Kunvarji Bavaliya from Rajkot West Assembly segment to win Lok Sabha election in April this year.