Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party has begun wooing tribals, who constitute 15% of the State’s population and are an influential social group on more than 35 Assembly segments, including 27 Scheduled Tribes (ST) reserved seats.
With the Assembly elections just 10 months away, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and State BJP president Jitu Vaghani led a 1,500-kilometre long Adivasi Vikas Gaurav Yatra.
The march passed through tribal areas covering 15 districts, and culminated at Ambaji in North Gujarat on Saturday.
Shake-off Patidar dent
The party’s attempt to focus on tribal votes is seemingly aimed at offsetting the dent in its vote base caused due to the Patidar agitation.
Of the 27 reserved ST seats, the BJP holds 10 seats, the Congress 16, and one seat is held by the JD(U).
In the 2014 parliamentary polls, the BJP won four ST reserved seats. It made a clean sweep by winning all 26 seats in the polls.
According to insiders, the party leadership anticipates some losses in 40 Patidar-dominated seats and 13 scheduled caste (SC) reserved seats, and is thus focusing on tribal votes.
Big-wigs attend
During the 10-day long march, party leaders and Union Ministers highlighted the development works launched by the State and Central governments in tribal areas.
Leaders like Purushottam Rupala, Jaswantsinh Bhabhor and Mansukh Mandaviya, among others, were a part of the march.
