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HomePoliticsGujarat Election 2017Jamnagar still loves its turncoat MLAs, now fighting for the BJP

Jamnagar still loves its turncoat MLAs, now fighting for the BJP

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Dharmendrasinh Jadeja & Raghavji Patel were Congress MLAs who switched to the BJP. But to their constituents, their good record matters, not the party.

Jamnagar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with Narendra Modi and Amit Shah at the helm, has had a tested formula to beat anti-incumbency – replace the sitting lawmaker. In a departure from the practice this time, however, the party has not just given tickets to most of its own MLAs, but also to five turncoat MLAs who defected from the Congress.

Two of these five MLAs are from Jamnagar district in Saurashtra – Dharmendrasinh Jadeja from Jamnagar North and Raghavji Patel from Jamnagar Rural – and it seems the BJP’s gamble of rewarding Congress defectors and cashing in on their popularity may just pay off.

In both constituencies, voters stand by their MLAs, and say they’ll back them again for their work and initiatives, irrespective of which party they represent. While Patel, a five-time MLA, won by a margin of 3,304 votes in the 2012 assembly elections, Jadeja won by 9,448 votes.

“It’s the individual that matters, not his party. A party is just a platform. Jadeja ji is such a person that he would win irrespective of the party,” says septuagenarian C.P. Ashar, who lives in the Mangalbagh area and runs a wedding card-printing business.

A BJP party office in Jamnagar with campaign posters
A party office with Jadeja’s campaign posters

“For him, working for his constituents is important. He has helped this area in all spheres – roads, water, farmer issues. He is grounded, meets people in his area, and attends to their needs.”

A few blocks away, Heenaben Majithia, a housewife, says Jadeja consulted his supporters and took everyone into confidence before deciding to switch parties.

Parag Singh Sodha, who runs a stationery shop on Saru Section Road, says Jadeja is a “one man army”.

“He will win even if he were to stand as an independent. He has tremendous support. His changing parties has no effect on the election at all,” Sodha says.

“His biggest contribution has been in organising blood donation camps in his constituency. He is a leader who takes everyone along, irrespective of caste and religion.”

Sodha’s store partner Dilip Jadeja chips in: “He is someone who collects donations for mandirs as well dargahs. During demonetisation, he put his own people as volunteers to help those standing in queues fill forms etc.”

Prawin Dhruv, who runs a mobile shop in the area, adds: “He’s an individual candidate. Unke naam pe vote padega (people will vote in his name).”

Connected to people

In the Jamnagar Rural constituency, the sentiment is similar. Raghavji Patel’s popularity is high, and the change of party seems to make little difference. Some voters, in fact, feel it would benefit them, since the “BJP will be in power at both Centre and state”, and their MLA will be aligned to it.

“He has made the right choice by going to the BJP,” says Dinesh Chawda of Dhuvav village in Jamnagar Rural constituency. “His work is excellent. That is all that matters. The party is secondary. He is a leader who remains connected to his people.”

Kailash Kagathra of Rampar village says: “Raghavji is someone who attends all functions in his constituency, be it a happy occasion or sad. We want our leader to be someone who is among us; the party he contests for is secondary.”

How to beat double anti-incumbency

The challenge before both Jadeja and Patel, as also for the other former Congress MLAs who are contesting on BJP tickets, is to beat double anti-incumbency – their own plus the BJP’s, given it has been in power in the state for 22 years. It is also imperative for them to ensure their voters don’t feel shortchanged about their change of party.

As both Jadeja and Patel finish filing their nominations at the new collector’s office in Jamnagar, they tell ThePrint that the decision to switch was taken after consulting those who elected them.

“When I was in the Congress, it was like I was fighting two forces – the Congress as well as the BJP. I decided to shift only after taking all my voters into confidence. For two months, I consulted everyone, and then took the step,” Jadeja says.

Patel adds: “My voters are very happy, they wanted me to leave the Congress. It is with their consent and by taking them along that I joined the BJP.”

The BJP’s strategy to focus on the winnability of candidates – whether incumbent or not, recent defectors or not – could just turn out to be politically clever.

It’s also a lesson in politics – personal chemistry with voters can be as important, if not more, as party symbols and campaign strategies.

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