Patidar & tribal outreach, populist steps, cadre drills show Gujarat BJP in poll mode

With an eye on the assembly polls next year, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has smoothly glided into an election mode in Gujarat with community-specific overtures from the top, training programmes for its workers and a thorough image makeover for the government.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Sardardham Bhavan in Ahmedabad and carried out the Bhumi Pujan for a girl’s hostel for Sardardham Phase-2 on September 11, hours before Vijay Rupani put in his papers as chief minister. Last week, the Prime Minister virtually carried out the Bhumi Pujan for a hostel constructed by the Saurashtra Patel Seva Samaj in Surat. In between, Bhupendra Patel was anointed the chief minister of the state.While the Prime Minister’s participation in development projects in his home state has largely been a routine affair, the sequence of events underlined the importance the BJP is laying on placating the powerful Patidar community, which has been restive for a while, particularly in the diamond hub of Surat. The community’s disaffection with the BJP has allowed the debutant Aam Aadmi Party to expand its base in the state considerably, albeit at the cost of opposition Congress.

The BJP also has actively started reaching out to the state’s tribal population, who form roughly 15% of the electorate. While 27 of Gujarat’s 182 assembly seats are reserved for the tribal community, they also play a crucial role in several other constituencies. While the BJP has successfully made inroads to the segment, it is now consolidating its position. Last week, state tourism and pilgrimage development minister Purnesh Modi announced that every tribal person from Gujarat travelling to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will be eligible for a cash assistance of Rs 5,000.The tribal population at one point was a strong vote base for the Congress, but that has completely eroded now.Meanwhile, the state BJP is also holding a training programme for its workers from October 16 till October 27. Under this, three days’ training programmes are being organised across 41 places covering 33 districts and eight municipal corporations of Gujarat.The workers will be trained on the functioning and ideology of the BJP, the history of the BJP and the Jan Sangh as well as the contemporary political situation and the party’s role in it.In between, the newly formed state government has been trying for a massive image makeover with senior ministers making public statements asking officials to take more pro-people stands. Already, ministers and bureaucrats have been asked to stay in their offices on Mondays and Tuesdays to meet people who need to visit them for various reasons.