Few in Godhra want to relive the images of the violence that triggered the Gujarat riots in 2002. The people in this town would rather discuss jobs, persistent power cuts and poor infrastructure, which its voters believe are issues of concern in the Assembly elections.
That Godhra does not figure in the electoral or political discourse in the State gladdens the heart of 30-year old Asim, who runs a motor vehicle repair shop here.
No big talk
“I am happy that no big leader from any party is talking about Godhra this time. Would such talk give us two square meals? No, that would only have defamed us,” Mr. Asim says.
A Congress bastion, the Godhra constituency is caught in a two-way fight between the party’s Rajendra Patel and its former member, C.K. Raulji, MLA who switched over to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in August.
Also in the fray is the BJP rebel Jaswant Parmar, who is likely to take away votes from both the leading contenders.
Mr. Patel and Mr. Parmar belong to the backward Bakshi Panch community, which, with 90,000-odd voters, commands the highest number of votes as a group.
The BJP, which has not won the seat since 2007, believes the party has a chance of bagging it this time because Mr. Raulji has been contesting from Godhra since 1990 and has strong ties with the people.
The Bakshi Panch community votes may also get divided between Mr. Parmar and Mr. Patel, benefiting the BJP, party workers believe.
The Congress, on the other hand, is convinced that its candidate will get the voters’ support. Mr. Patel, party members say, has the support of 50,000 Muslim voters and those of other communities.
Caste card
In some Hindus localities, caste is likely to play a dominant role in the election. Shanti, who runs a small shop and belongs to the Bakshi Panch community, says she would like to vote for someone from her caste. Like Asim, however, Shanti and Dinesh Patel, a Patidar who runs a bakery shop, are concerned about issues such as power cuts, which they believe adversely affect business.
In Godhra, election talk often veers around to economic demands. “Whatever happened is now the past. We need employment, because many Muslim boys are only doing petty part-time jobs here,” says Hussain Abdul Rehman, sitting outside the MIM Masjid near Signal Fadia.
It is business that brings people from different religions together in Godhra, which is broadly divided into Hindu and Muslim localities.
Rajat, a 25-year-old man who is at Asim’s shop to get some repairs done, says the religious divides have taken a back seat.
“It hardly matters to me what his religion is,” he says, referring to Asim. “To me, all that matters is that he is a good mechanic.”
Congress supporters Rehman and Asim say the Muslim community will continue to support the party. Muslim Independent candidates have never won from Godhra, and the few in the fray this time are unlikely to make a dent, local people believe. Shopkeepers Dinesh and Shanti are not happy with the State government which, they feel, has not addressed their problems. But both say they have faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his leadership.
In Godhra — where a train coach carrying religious activists was torched in February 2002, leading to violence across Gujarat — the election on December 14 will reflect different voices and concerns. But the fire of violence has been doused.
