Gujarat BJP sees differences over selection of candidates in some LS seats

Ahmedabad: Differences have cropped up among BJP workers over the selection of candidates in some Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat even as senior party leaders have sought to address their concerns to maintain grip over the state.

The Congress, however, claimed the internal differences could hamper the BJP's bid to repeat a clean sweep and win all 26 seats in the state for the third time in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

With differences over the selection of candidates in seats such as Amreli, Rajkot, Sabarkantha, Surendranagar and Vadodara, the BJP has been making every effort to resolve them by holding meetings with the disgruntled members.

On Saturday, Kshatriya community leader Raj Shekhawat resigned from the BJP in protest against Union minister and Rajkot Lok Sabha candidate Parshottam Rupala’s remarks wherein he claimed that several Rajput rulers had collaborated with the British.

Asserting that the community was being neglected by the BJP in ticket distribution, Shekhawat said, “The party leadership has not taken any action against him (Rupala). Therefore, I am resigning from the primary membership of the party.” The community members have also held protests in different parts of the state over Rupala’s remarks, made at a public function in Rajkot, for which he has apologised.

The Karni Sena has threatened to intensify its stir across Gujarat, urging the BJP to withdraw Rupala's candidature or face defeat.

Even as the BJP grapples to pacify the Kshatriya community members, two groups in the party clashed on Saturday night over the selection of Bharat Sutariya as the candidate from Amreli Lok Sabha seat.

Supporters of incumbent MP Naran Kachhadiya have apparently been unhappy over the party's decision to field Sutariya from Amreli.

On Saturday night, former state cabinet minister Bhupendra Chudasama had rushed to Amreli for a meeting organised to resolve the issue of differences over Sutariya's candidature, but later some of the party workers clashed.

Chudasama has asserted that Sutariya will continue to be the BJP's candidate from Amreli.

"There is no discontent...Sutariya will remain the BJP's candidate," he told reporters.

In Vadodara, an internal opposition against two-term sitting MP Ranjan Bhatt has led her to withdraw her candidature. The BJP subsequently declared Hemang Joshi as its candidate for Vadodara.

In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi won the parliamentary election from Vadodara before giving up the seat for Varanasi.

On March 26, a large number of BJP workers and supporters of local leader Bhikhaji Thakor gathered outside the party office in Modasa town of Arvalli district to protest against the decision to field Shobhna Baraiya, the wife of former Congress MLA Mahendrasinh Baraiya, from the Sabarkantha Lok Sabha seat after Thakor withdrew from the race.

It took several rounds of meetings with the party high command, both in Arvalli and state capital Gandhinagar to appease them.

BJP's Himmatnagar taluka panchayat member Jitendrasinh Jhala wrote an open letter opposing Shobhna Baraiya's candidature.

"What I said is that the party should not offer ticket to any woman who is not a member of its women's wing. She (Shobhna) is not associated with the party. Her husband joined the BJP, but she is not a party member," Jhala claimed.

Shobhna Baraiya, however, dismissed the claims, saying, "I am getting the support and trust of the public...My husband joined the BJP along with 5,000 workers, and I am also a part of (Prime Minister) Modi saheb's ideology, and that is the reason why Modi saheb gave me his blessings." In Surendranagar seat also, some BJP workers have opposed the candidature of Chandu Shihora, who has replaced sitting MP Mahendra Munjpara.

Shihora, a former Congressman who belongs to the Chunvalia Koli sub-caste, is facing resistance within the party from Talpada Koli community members, who want him to be replaced with a candidate from their sub-caste.

"He should withdraw his candidature. If it does not happen, we will vote against the BJP," said Soma Patel, the former Congress MP who is now with the BJP.

Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi claimed that differences within the BJP over the selection of candidates is a result of the saffron party ignoring its dedicated workers at the cost of leaders imported from other parties and given plum posts.

"The discontent has become obvious in some seats, but it remains visible in many other seats and will impact the BJP's efforts to repeat its effort to win all 26 seats in the state," he said.

"The tug of war among the dedicated party workers, opportunists and imported leaders has only harmed the voters who reposed faith in the party but got nothing in return," he claimed.

All 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will witness polling in a single phase on May 7.