Even as Parshottam Rupala, the BJP’s nominee from Gujarat’s Rajkot Lok Sabha seat, is facing agitation by Kshatriya community members, political analysts and voters believe the Union minister will emerge victorious. While the analysts claim Rajkot is an “unbreachable fortress” of the BJP, voters laud the development works done by the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
Rupala recently claimed the erstwhile ‘maharajas’ succumbed to the persecution of foreign rulers, including the Britishers. Despite Rupala’s apology, the Kshatriyas, also called Rajputs, see his remarks as an insult to them and have asked the BJP to withdraw his candidature or face defeat in Rajkot, a Patidar-dominated seat considered as BJP’s stronghold.
Elections to all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will be held on May 7.
The BJP has dropped two-time MP Mohan Kundariya and nominated Rupala, belonging to the Kadva sub-sect of Patidar community. The Congress has fielded former MLA Paresh Dhanani, a Leuva Patidar.
Rupala and Dhanani belong to neighbouring Amreli district. Three-term Rajya Sabha member Rupala is contesting the Lok Sabha election for the first time. He was an MLA from Amreli in 1991, 1995 and 1998. In the 2022 assembly polls, Dhanani defeated Rupala from Amreli. Dhanani also won the assembly seat in 2012 and 2017 but lost to BJP’s Kaushik Vekaria in 2022. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Dhanani contested from Amreli but lost to BJP’s Naran Kachhadia.
Rajkot Lok Sabha seat has nearly 23 lakh voters. The Patidars - Kadva and Leuva - are a decisive force with around 5.8 lakh electors.
There are also 3.5 lakh Koli voters, 2.3 lakh Maldharis (both OBCs), 1.5 lakh Rajputs, 1.8 lakh Dalits, around 2 lakh voters from minorities and 3 lakh from Brahmin and Lohana communities.
Talking to PTI, political analyst Jagdish Acharya claimed the maximum damage Rajputs can do to Rupala is reduce his winning lead by around 50,000 votes.
On the possibility of Dhanani’s win with the help of nearly 4 lakh Leuva Patidars and a few thousand anti-BJP Rajput voters, Acharya said the chances are remote.
