Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi on the western coast of Gujarat, is now a BJP bastion.
“In the district panchayat, out of 18 seats we have 14. In the taluka, we have 20 out of 24 seats. In the Porbandar municipality, we have 41 out of 44 seats. Now you tell me, how will he fight against me,” says Babubhai Bokhiria, Gujarat’s Minister for Agriculture and Fishery, making light of the challenge posed by his Congress rival and former Leader of the Opposition, Arjunbhai Modhvadia.
In 2012, the BJP leader wrested the seat from Mr. Modhvadia, who had represented the constituency for a decade since the 2002 elections. The BJP’s “election machinery” is at work to ensure a repeat. At the Lohana Balashram election office, BJP worker Ketan Dani is briefing volunteers on “how to get positive voters to the polling booth on Saturday and not touch the negatives ones”.
Muslim votes
Haji Ibrahim heads the minority cell of the BJP here. “In the previous Assembly elections, we got a lot of Muslim votes. But this time, it will be tough. Yogi Maharaj comes and makes a statement and suddenly it becomes difficult for us,” he says. The Porbandar constituency has roughly 2.4 lakh voters and Muslims form about 5% of the electorate. The dominant caste with the most political clout is Mer, and that explains why both the BJP and Congress candidates belong to this Kshatriya sub-caste.
Brahmins and the fishing caste Khadwa, Thakkar and Dalits are the other important groups whose votes range between 18,000 and 30,000. “In the past one month, we have called every voter from a call centre and categorised them as positive and negative based on their response,” says Mr. Bokhiria who was once the target of the Congress. It had demanded his resignation after a lower court found him guilty in a ₹80-crore limestone smuggling case.
“The sessions court cleared me of all the charges. The Congress is spending their money to give me publicity,” the BJP lawmaker says.
Real issues
At Mr. Modhvadia’s residence, the mood is somewhat subdued.
“The BJP has tried to divert focus from the real issues,” he says.
Poor prices for groundnut farmers, not a single new industry in Porbandar in the past decade, ignoring the demands of the fishing community and lack of jobs are listed by the Congress as “real issues.”
At the Porbandar port-cum-fish landing centre, Sunil Devsibhai Khadwa who heads the association representing the Khadwa community, says there is anger against the BJP’s nominee here.
“I am a BJP supporter, but I also represent the fishing folk. They are angry that the government has cut down on subsidised kerosene and diesel for the trawlers,” says Sunil Devaibhai, suggesting that a bigger port is required.
