Gujarat’s tribal voters are ‘divided’ between BJP and Congress

Pragna Chandresh Chaudhary and family in Vyara, Tapi

While people in Dang district praise BJP for its good work, those in Tapi prefer Congress.

Dang/Tapi, Gujarat: In the tribal-dominated Dang and Tapi districts of Gujarat, voters seem to be divided between the BJP and Congress.

While Dang appears to be leaning towards the BJP for the ‘development work’ it has done, people of Tapi want Congress rule in the state, saying that the BJP government’s policies such as demonetisation and GST have badly affected them.

Kalpana Tumbda, in her early thirties, runs a small store on the highway in Dang district’s Bhenskatri village. Busy attending to customers on a warm afternoon, Tumbda articulated her political preferences for the upcoming state assembly polls.

Kalpana Tumda, Bhenskatri village, Dang

“I want the BJP to come to power. The BJP government has done a lot in Dang. They have given mid-day meals to children, built good roads, ensued electricity and water supply, gave us houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, among others,” Tumbda said.

“Our Congress MLA, on the other hand, hasn’t worked for us at all. He barely comes to our village,” she added.

Jamila Gamit, who has come to buy a packet of salt at Tumbda’s shop, also gave credit to the BJP for the “development” in her village.

This, in fact, seems to be the common thread running through the tribal-dominated Dang district, which has just one assembly segment. Voters seem unhappy with their sitting MLA from Congress Mangalbhai Gavit, and yearn for a change. The BJP government, they claimed, had launched several development initiatives in Dang and the rest of the state.

While Dang has a population of 2.55 lakh, the tribal community makes up around 95 per cent of it. The district has traditionally been a Congress stronghold, electing a BJP MLA — Vijaybhai Patel — only once in 2007.

The BJP and the RSS have been trying to make inroads into the tribal belt — tribals account for nearly 15 per cent of the total population in Gujarat. The party has once again fielded Vijaybhai Patel who lost to Gavit by a narrow margin of just around 2,500 votes in the 2012 polls.

“Our MLA does not have a good track record. He comes just once or twice a year, takes a round and leaves. The BJP government has opened hospitals and schools here, constructed good roads, given houses to some under PMAY,” said Dhanajbhai Bagol of Kalibel village.

Dhanajbhai Bagol (centre) with his friends, Kalibel village, Dang

“The only issue is that a lot of seats reserved for STs in schools remain unfilled. The BJP must address this issue,” he added.

His friend Sonu Kanat joined the conversation. “We were a very underdeveloped district. Slowly, it’s changing. Jobs still remain a big issue here, but in other areas, BJP has done good work.”

Arun Chaudhary, Sunilbhai and Rajesh Chaudhary of Nadagkhadi village subsist on farming. “We are BJP supporters,” they announced openly.

Good roads, steady electricity/water supply, Ujjwala scheme and schools are, in fact, a common refrain. In the district headquarters Ahwa, Nilesh Mali were reading the day’s newspaper. The RSS, he claimed, has done a lot of “lok seva (public service)” in villages across Dang.

The RSS, in fact, has been trying to establish its footprint in the tribal belt. The Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram (VKA), an affiliate of the RSS, started Sevadham — a residential facility for tribal students — in Ahwa in 2006. The facility currently houses 40 tribal students who study in a nearby government school.

In a village just before tribal dominated Tapi district’s headquarter Vyara, Pragna Chandresh Chaudhary and Jayshreeben were sticking small beads and other embellishments on a piece of bright red fabric.

They claim while they have electricity and water supply, what they don’t have is the house they are entitled to under PMAY. And it is the BJP government they blame for it. “We haven’t got a house under the scheme. The government has been very unfair. Our entire village is supporting the Congress, and we will do the same,” said Chaudhary.

A little ahead, Jignesh Christian questions the BJP’s policies, including demonetisation and GST, saying they caused much hardship to the people. “Moreover, we don’t have jobs here and it’s very difficult to get loans from banks to start something. Why then should we vote for the BJP? It has been trying to make inroads into the tribal area, but it’s not succeeding,” he added.