Voters in Gujarat’s Bharuch Lok Sabha constituency need to be careful on May 7 when they vote. With three candidates sharing the same surname, the voters need to double check if they have chosen the correct symbol.
The three key Lok Sabha contestants, Mansukh, Chaitar and Dilip, have the surname “Vasava”. Apart from sharing the same rituals and traditions, this clan of the Bhil community share similar surnames too. While the main contest is between BJP’s six-time MP Mansukh and AAP candidate Chaitar, Dilip entered the fray on the Bharatiya Adivasi Party (BAP) ticket. Dilip is the son of tribal leader Chhotu Vasava. Chaitar is said to have helped the AAP gain a large chunk of tribal votes from the Congress in the 2022 Assembly polls.
As part of the alliance between Congress and AAP, two Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat – Bharuch and Bhavnagar – have been given to the latter.
When AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal announced Chaitar as Bharuch’s party candidate, not many were happy. Chaitar had been incarcerated for allegedly assaulting forest officers. However, the Congress agreed and paved the way for the first election since 1977 without a candidate from the party. Ahmed Patel won the Lok Sabha polls from this seat in 1977, 1980 and 1984.
Meanwhile, there are two other Vasavas too. Dharmendra Vasava, an independent candidate, and Chetan Vasava, contesting on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket.
Once a pocket borough of the late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, the BJP has enjoyed a grip over Bharuch since it won for the first time in 1989. Mansukh Vasava has been representing this non-reserved seat since 1998. “The BJP has been winning the Bharuch seat for decades, but they haven’t done much for the tribals, farmers, or educated youngsters. We have one of the biggest GIDCs, but the locals aren’t getting employment, and those with jobs are underpaid,” Chaitar told Times of India.
However, Mansukh (66) remains confident of winning with a lead of 4 to 5 lakh votes. According to Times of India, the sitting MP projects his clean record, contrasting it with Chaitar’s 13 pending cases and incarceration.
The South Gujarat constituency has a large population of tribal and Muslim voters. Both communities reportedly comprise around 7.5 lakh voters in this seat that houses some of the largest industrial estates such as Ankleshwar and Dahej, Gujarat’s lifeline Narmada dam, and tribal pockets such as Dediapada, Jhagadia and Nandod.
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