Gujarat tribal face & 7-time MLA Chhotubhai loses to BJP’s Ritesh Vasava in Jhagadia

BTP chief Chhotubhai Vasava has lost his bastion, from where he won 7 times in a row. He contested as an Independent amid conflict with his son.

BTP leaders Mahesh Vasava (L) and father Chhotubhai Vasava (R) | Credit: Facebook @Chhotubhai Vasava

New Delhi: Seven-time MLA Chhotubhai Vasava, one of the most visible tribal faces in Gujarat, has lost from the Jhagadia constituency. He co-founded the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) with his son Mahesh Vasava.

Vasava contested as an independent candidate amid conflict with his son. Riteshkumar Ramanbhai Vasava of the BJP won with 89,933 votes while Chhotubhai Vasava got 66,433 votes as per the Election Commission of India figures.

Chhotubhai has been defeated with a margin of 23,500 votes from his traditional seat Jhagadia, where he won seven times in a row.

The BTP, which claims to represent the interests of tribal voters, was founded in 2017 by the father-son duo after a split from the Janata Dal (United). Chhotubhai was once the lone MLA of JD(U) in Gujarat.

In 2017, the party contested Gujarat elections in alliance with the Congress. This time around, they contested independently.

A high-drama battle took place days before the polls as BTP chief Mahesh declared candidature from a ‘safe seat’ — Jhagadia. It is the only seat reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates in Bharuch district. It prompted his father Chhotubhai to file his nomination as an independent candidate.

The father-son duo finally reached a compromise after Mahesh withdrew his candidature.

Some within the BTP had blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — which entered into a brief alliance with BTP earlier this year — for having triggered the father-son tussle by ‘poaching’ a close aide of Chhotubhai.

BTP’s many alliances

The BTP has a fair presence among the Bhil community in Rajasthan and Gujarat. In 2017, it entered into an alliance with the Congress and won two seats out of six that it contested.

The BTP also stood with the Congress during Sachin Pilot’s rebellion against Rajashtan CM Ashok Gehlot.

The party joined hands with the AAP in May this year but the alliance lasted only till September when Chhotubhai called it off, accusing the AAP of damaging BTP’s poll prospects and of trying to field BTP candidates on the AAP symbol.

BTP had also entered into an alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) for the municipal polls in 2021 but severed ties before the assembly polls.

In November, Chhotubhai announced that BTP had entered into an alliance with the JD(U) for the Gujarat polls, It was denied by his son and JD(U).

Tribal vote share

In Gujarat, which has one of the highest tribal populations across the country in terms of absolute numbers, 27 seats in the 182-member legislative assembly are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs).

The Congress won 16 of the 27 seats in 2017, the BJP won eight and the BTP two, while one was won by an Independent. In 2012, the Congress won 16 of those seats, the BJP 10 and the JD (United) one.

Besides the 27 reserved seats for tribals, there are 31 other assembly constituencies where the estimated tribal population is over 30 per cent.

BTP had also aligned with the Congress during the 2017 Rajya Sabha biennial election in Gujarat in which late Congress leader Ahmed Patel was locked in a high-stakes battle with the BJP.

(Edited by Theres Sudeep)