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Congress likely to field Paresh Dhanani against Rupala amid Kshatriya remark row
Gujarat Congress working president Lalit Kagathara, alongside other party leaders from Rajkot, on Tuesday reached out to Dhanani persuading him to battle against Rupala
Congress is likely to field influential Patidar leader Paresh Dhanani against Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Rajkot candidate Parshottam Rupala.
The development comes at a time when the controversy stirred by Rupala’s remarks about the Kshatriya or Rajput refuses to die down.
Gujarat Congress working president Lalit Kagathara, alongside other party leaders from Rajkot, on Tuesday reached out to Dhanani persuading him to battle against Rupala.
Dhanani earned the moniker “giant killer” following his remarkable victory over Rupala in the 2002 state assembly elections.
It was Dhanani’s first electoral campaign, contesting against Rupala, a seasoned three-time MLA, who was the agriculture minister in the then chief minister Narendra Modi’s state cabinet.
Since then, Rupala, also a powerful Patidar leader from Saurashtra, has not contested in direct elections, and the upcoming Lok Sabha could be his first in over two decades.
In 2012, Dhanani defeated BJP stalwart Dilip Sanghani in the same constituency, and he retained the seat in 2017 by defeating former minister Bavku Undhad.
Dhanani’s recent political journey has been marked by setbacks, experiencing defeat in both the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the 2022 Gujarat assembly polls.
The BJP has solidified its grip on Gujarat, attaining total dominance with victories in all 26 Lok Sabha seats in both the 2014 and 2019 elections.
The 2022 state elections saw them achieve a historic feat, winning 156 out of 182 seats, a feat achieved by no other party ever in Gujarat.
“The party leaders have reached out to Dhanani, urging him to contest the elections from Rajkot. He has agreed to comply with the party’s request without hesitation,” said Manish Doshi, Gujarat Congress spokesperson.
The controversy
Speaking at a small gathering in Rajkot on March 22, Rupala allegedly made remarks that were perceived by members of the Rajput community as derogatory.
Also Read: Kshatriya community in west UP accuses ruling party of ‘ignoring’ their interests
Rupala suggested that former ‘maharajas’ succumbed to oppression from foreign rulers, including the British adding that they dined with and arranged marriages for their daughters with these rulers.
As a result, members of the Rajput community have called on the BJP to retract Rupala’s candidature thereby launching several protests in the state.
Rupala has apologised twice for his remarks, but the Kshatriya community seems unmoved and shows no inclination to relent. Posters have been set up in various cities against Rupala’s candidature and their leaders have announced that they will field hundreds of candidates to ensure the BJP candidate’ defeat.
The voting for all 26 seats in Gujarat will be held on May 7.
Speaking to media persons on Tuesday, Kagathara said that if Dhanani decides to contest in Rajkot, it will have a positive effect on the Congress’s electoral prospects in all seven Lok Sabha seats within the Saurashtra region.
Dhanani told media persons in Rajkot on Monday that if the BJP doesn’t cancel Rupala’s ticket as demanded by the Kshatriya women who have been protesting for two weeks now, either Rupala should step down or his party should cancel his nomination.
“If the BJP doesn’t act now, I’ll challenge Rupala from the Rajkot seat,” he said.
According to an agreement between the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Congress will compete in 24 out of Gujarat’s 26 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, while the AAP will field candidates in Bharuch and Bhavnagar constituencies.
The BJP has already announced candidates for all 26 seats in Gujarat, whereas the Congress has only declared candidates for 18 seats, leaving Rajkot, Navsari, Mehsana, and Ahmedabad East without nominations.
“The protests by the Kshatriya community serve as a poignant indicator that anti-incumbency sentiments against the BJP in Gujarat are gaining momentum,” said Vidyut Joshi, a political expert and former Vice Chancellor of Bhavnagar University.
“This discontent prompted the party to replace two candidates in Vadodara and Banaskantha constituencies. The BJP’s success rests mainly on its strong cadre and of course the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the emergence of Dhanani as a formidable Patidar leader presents a potential vote-splitting scenario within the community, which typically leans towards Rupala. With Kshatriya votes potentially shifting towards Congress’ Dhanani and challenges arising in another 4-5 seats, the BJP faces a significant obstacle in securing victory across all 26 seats in Gujarat this time”, he said.
