Gujarat Elections: Modi's team forced to redraw its election strategy

NEW DELHI: With the upward push of activists like Hardik Patel Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani reviving the caste narrative in Gujarat and Congress after drawing lessons from the beyond refusing to be drawn right into a polarised debate BJP has been forced to trade its strategy. BJP chief Amit Shah is repeatedly speakme about how Congress targeted on KHAM (Kshatriya Harijan Adivasi and Muslim) to win elections inside the past. Kshatriyas in Gujarat had been opposed to Patels and with Congress trying to get Hardik Patel on its aspect BJP feels emphasising on the variations among the two castes will pressure a wedge in the competition camp. Kshatriyas in Gujarat fall in the OBC category whilst the Patidars were traumatic backward repute to avail of the reservations. Moreover Alpesh Thakor is an OBC leader whose hobby may also come into conflict with that of Hardik Patel. The senior-maximum leaders in Congress like Bharatsinh Solanki and Shaktisinh Gohil are Kshatriyas. Shankarsinh Vaghela some other Kshatriya stalwart turned into with Congress until a few months lower back. BJP is involved about the Patels who've overwhelmingly voted for it in the preceding elections switching over to the Congress camp in these elections. As a end result Hardik Patel has end up a prime goal with alleged sex CDs surfacing before the polls. Fissures inside the Patidar camp have also come to the fore with a few dissenting voices growing towards Hardik. While it is not clean if BJP has any position inside the dissensions its leaders are of the view that their birthday celebration will advantage from these traits. BJP has been able to defeat Congress by means of countering KHAM with polarisation wherein faith has overridden caste. Patels who represent around 15% of the citizens have performed a primary function along side top castes like Brahmins and Banias (around 10%). Among OBCs BJP feels Kolis the caste that constitutes 20% of the electorate and to which President of India Ram Nath Kovind belongs will vote for it. The birthday party is likewise banking on some of other backward http://www.captureminnesota.com/users/bagss castes from the state. Congress has not fallen into the entice of polarising the elections. Statements like Merchant of Death in opposition to PM Modi were averted and it has made lack of conspicuous improvement and failure to supply the promises made its major ballot plank. Congress VP Rahul Gandhi has visited temples leading BJP to allege it isn't always natural for him and he is doing so for votes. With Muslims constituting simplest 9% Congress is aware that polarisation will not pay dividends. BJP isn't tons concerned about dropping the Dalit votes within the wake of the Una incident. There are only round nine% Dalits and BJP leaders preserve this can be countered through a few inroads that it's far making into the Tribal ( 15%) vote financial institution. The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti on Thursday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani have been in the back of the morphed intercourse clip of its leader Hardik Patel PTI pronounced. The birthday party even claimed that the BJP had prepared fifty two such morphed clips of other PAAS individuals to defame their business enterprise. We have learnt that a Surat-primarily based builder who is a BJP supporter and some other individual are in the back of those morphed clips PAAS convenor Dinesh Bambhania informed journalists. They did it on the behest of the Gujarat chief minister and the nation BJP unit president Jitu Vaghani to tarnish Hardik s image ahead of the polls. Bambhania a close aide of Hardik Patel alleged that the sex CD become made as part of a Rs forty-crore deal. Our sources have advised us that fifty two such morphed clips are nonetheless there out of which 22 clips are of Hardik whilst final clips are of other PAAS leaders he alleged.The enterprise also claimed that the BJP had bribed a female to report a fake rape case against Hardik Patel the Hindustan Times suggested.BJP denies allegationsGujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel refuted the prices and stated the sex CD might also were organized by a dissident PAAS employee. As PAAS has claimed that fifty two greater CDs are there it shows that they're conscious that their personal workers would possibly have prepared them Patel instructed journalists. It is an inner count number of the PAAS. BJP leaders have nothing to do wit it. Nitin Patel asked PAAS to provide proof to aid the claims that the employer has made.The row over the CD comes at a time while political parties are strengthening their marketing campaign for the imminent Assembly election. Meanwhile PAAS leader Chirag Patel on Thursday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. Gujarat will go to polls on December 9 and December 14. Former Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) chief Chirag Patel joins BJP in presence of Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel p.C.Twitter.Com/dnAV7NJaom ANI (@ANI) November 16 2017 AHMEDABAD: Days after a sex CD allegedly proposing its leader emerged Hardik Patel s Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti or PAAS on Thursday accused the BJP of commissioning the morphed movies and claimed 52 extra similar clips had been on their way. Our assets have instructed us... 22 clips are of Hardik even as the last clips are of other PAAS leaders the Patidar institution s convener Dinesh Bambhania stated at a news conference on Thursday.Mr Bambhania held Gujarat leader minister and kingdom BJP unit leader Jitu Vaghani answerable for the morphed sex clips which he alleged turned into part of a 40 crores deal struck by using the birthday celebration with an unnamed builder from Pune.But the BJP right away hit lower back insisting that the celebration was nowhere inside the photo . As PAAS has claimed that fifty two greater CDs are nonetheless there it indicates that they may be conscious that their personal employees would possibly have organized them. It is their internal count number Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel told newshounds.He had just welcomed considered one of them into the BJP Chirag Patel. A founder member of the PAAS set up to searching for reservation for Patels or Patidars the Chirag Patel had fallen out with Hardik Patel closing 12 months after accusing the 24-year-old face of the http://www.workpost.com/delllaptops9879_profile.aspx Patidar agitation of hijacking the movement for private profits.On Thursday Chirag Patel also accused his former mentor of cozying as much as the Congress that is making an attempt to piggyback Hardik Patel s to make inroads into the community that makes up for 14 in step with cent of the nation s populace and is understood to have assist the BJP inside the beyond.Hardik Patel s institution isn t contesting the meeting elections however has vowed to make certain that the BJP which has held Gujarat for 22 years doesn t come lower back to strength.Dinesh Bambhania known as the morphed CDs an try to tarnish Hardik s picture in advance of the polls to keep the BJP .Hardik Patel had anticipated in advance this month that a video of him having sex could be circulated to harm his recognition as Gujarat procedures its vote casting dates of December 8 and 14. News agency Press Trust of India said as a minimum 3 videos that allegedly function a person comparable to him had been already out.He has only reacted to the primary that showed a lookalike with an unidentified lady in a inn room and claimed that he wasn t the man within the 4-minute lengthy video clip. He later also seemed to take a swipe at the BJP announcing the human beings of Gujarat need to look video evidence of 22 years of improvement no longer a 22-yr-antique boy . AHMEDABAD: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today launched its second listing of applicants for 9 assembly constituencies for the upcoming Gujarat elections nearly a month after saying its nominees for eleven seats. With this the Arvind Kejriwal-led celebration has declared the names of applicants for 20 meeting seats out of the total 182 inside the state wherein elections could be held in two stages on December nine and 14. The outcomes could be out on December 18. As consistent with the second listing the AAP has decided to contest from Gandhinagar (North) Botad Katargam Rajkot (East) Surat (East) Karanj Palanpur Gandhidham and Jamnagar Rural) birthday celebration spokesperson Harshil Nayak said. Three of these seats -- Rajkot (East) Palanpur and Jamnagar (Rural) -- are presently being held with the aid of Congress MLAs whilst the remaining six are with the BJP. The applicants finalised to contest from those seats are Gunvant Patel (Gandhinagar-North) Jilubhai Bavaliya (Botad) Nagajibhai Ambaliya (Katargam) Ajit Lokhil (Rajkot- East) Salim Multani (Surat-East) Jignesh Mehta (Karanj) Ramesh Nabhani (Palanpur) Govind Danicha (Gandhidham) and Paresh Bhanderi (Jamnagar-Rural). The AAP has also replaced its candidate declared inside the first listing for the Bapunagar constituency after receiving complaints in opposition to him Nayak said. Anil Verma who turned into the birthday party s candidate from Bapunagar has been replaced by Amjad Pathan he said. As in line with the list the applicants come from various backgrounds include businessmen educators social employees a former corporator legal professional and an academician. The 11 seats that the AAP had in advance introduced to contest are Bapunagar Unjha Rajkot (West) Danilimda Lathi Chhota Udepur Padra Karjan Pardi Gondal and Kamrej. The party has said greater applicants may be declared within the coming days even though it could no longer be contesting on all of the Ahmedabad 5:00 am AAP countrywide convenor Arvind Kejriwal (File image) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday launched its 2nd list of candidates for nine Assembly constituencies to be able to go to the polls inside the first phase on December nine. The birthday celebration also changed one of its 11 applicants the names of whom it had introduced nearly a month ago. With this the Arvind Kejriwal-led celebration has declared the names of applicants for 20 out of the full 182 seats in Gujarat. The names of the nine candidates in the 2d list are Gunvant Patel for Gandhinagar (North) Jilubhai Bavaliya for Botad Nagjibhai Ambaliya for Katargam Ajit Lokhil for Rajkot (East) Salim Multani for Surat (East) Jignesh Mehta for Karanj Ramesh Nabhani for Palanpur Govind Danicha for Gandhidham and Paresh Bhanderi for Jamnagar (Rural). We are inside the system of finding out more applicants AAP s Gujarat election in-charge Gopal Rai advised mediapersons after freeing the brand new listing of candidates. The party said more applicants may be declared inside the coming days even though it could no longer be contesting on all the 182 seats. The AAP also replaced its candidate for Bapunagar. Anil Verma has been replaced with the aid of Amjad Pathan after we received lawsuits against him its spokesperson Harshil Nayak said. In the primary listing released on October 21 the AAP had named its candidates for Bapunagar Unjha Rajkot (West) Danilimda Lathi Chhota Udepur Padra Karjan Pardi Gondal and Kamrej Assembly seats. The AAP applicants come from various backgrounds such as businessmen educationists social people a former corporator legal professional and an academician. Of the 20 seats in which AAP has named its candidates 14 Bapunagar Unjha Rajkot (West) Padra Karjan Pardi Gondal Kamrej Gandhinagar (North) Botad Katargam Surat (East) Karanj and Gandhidham (SC) are held by the BJP and final six Danilimda Chhota Udepur Rajkot (East) Palanpur and Jamnagar (Rural) with the aid of the Congress. On the party s center campaign problems Rai said that the AAP will make one of a kind manifestos for different constituencies. Every location has its very own problems and we want to take that into consideration We are not like different parties who are speaking large and now not doing plenty at the ground. We are doing our door-to-door marketing campaign and even in remote villages in which our volunteers have now not reached humans recognize approximately AAP Rai stated. For all of the modern day Elections News down load Indian Express App By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Since end-September Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has been temple-hopping in Gujarat with alacrity after supplying prayers at the Dwarkadhish Mandir. It marked the symbolic launch of his campaign that has were given the humans s ears and riled his fundamental adversary. A year in advance Gandhi had embarked on what turned out to be a disastrous election marketing campaign in Uttar Pradesh and visited Ayodhya. Twenty-eight years ago his father Rajiv Gandhi started his unsuccessful pitch to retain strength in 1989 from the twin town of Faizabad-Ayodhya. Rahul Gandhi affirmed he is a devotee of Lord Shiva being some of the first politicians to pray at the Kedarnath Temple after its recovery publish-floods in 2013. Rajiv on his element had ended his speech with an invocation to set up Ram Rajya. Temple visits honestly do no longer guarantee success. But most of the people nevertheless go to them and politicians are not any one-of-a-kind. The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty publicly commenced accomplishing religion during Indira Gandhi s time. She went towards Jawaharlal Nehru s belief who instead deified the temples of cutting-edge India . Indira did no longer to begin with mix religion with politics. She started touring temples on election excursions in the late 1970s. During her comeback campaign in 1979-80 she took alongside Sonia Gandhi to Ambaji Temple in Patan Gujarat which Rahul Gandhi has now visited. Rahul is no first-time traveler to temples during polls. He has even prayed at one in 2004 before submitting his nomination from Amethi UP. Despite his past show of religiosity the irked BJP insists that every one that is chunavi karma (election work) now not swabhavik dharma (everyday responsibility) for Gandhi. The hassle lies some place else: of Gandhi not sticking to the beyond template of shrine visits no matter it being a crude manner of declaring secularism. Last year in UP besides temples he also visited mosques dargahs and a church. Paying obeisance only at Gujarat s Hindu temples for electoral functions has certainly grow to be swabhavik karma (normal work) and chunavi dharma (electoral responsibility) for the Congress. And the BJP is harried at being paid again in the identical coin. Temple Template One foremost venture for the Congress while campaign momentum began choosing up in Gujarat turned into to shed its pro-minority party photo. Staying faraway from mosques and dargahs and no longer elevating the worries specifically of Muslims is a method to shed this notion. If Gandhi ultimately succumbs to pressure and balances his temple visits the BJP will get into complete instructed-you-so mode. This is the first Gujarat elections whilst Muslims nine.67% of the country s population are absolutely absent something that (sarcastically?) is considered top for the community. Muslims have surfaced in conversations most effective when controversy has erupted over houses being allegedly marked for smooth identification. Viewing the community s disappearance from the electoral discourse as a welcome development of direction can factor to an a essential flaw within the polity. The Gujarat election is being held at a completely poignant second. More than half of Gujarat will vote just 3 days after the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Undeniably the Ram Temple agitation the demolition being its climax stays the unmarried-largest submit-Independence mass-mobilisation campaign and is the predominant purpose for the BJP s ascent. In the course of the agitation within the late 1980s-early Nineteen Nineties the temple became viewed as an end in itself. But as Lal Krishna Advani elucidated after the demolition the movement turned into by no means for just a temple however became a symbol to articulate and publicise an alternate concept of nationalism from what existed in view that Independence. According to the previous imagination India s spiritual variety was its strength not its weak spot. The u . S . S cultural pluralism made the kingdom greater colourful. The presence of religious minorities living with adequate constitutional and political safeguards in a subcontinent wherein India became hedged among nations either persecuting minorities or rendering them irrelevant was a remember of significant pleasure and pride. But in some unspecified time in the future the whole lot started fracturing and the Ayodhya agitation performed a enormous role in this. Project Hindutva is now more legitimate as compared to the pre-Babri demolition technology. Ironically the celebration that mishandled the issue the maximum is likewise the one that bore the cruelest brunt inside the 2014 elections. On the course of its revival the Congress seems to have quietly altered some of its ordinary practises and core ideals even supposing this includes ignoring a community with which it has had a together beneficial courting. The unlucky part of adopting this strategy is that it unearths many takers specially among the BJP s critics. Muslim Chance The BJP has ideological reasons for forcing the Congress and different parties to take into account of accusations of appeasement . But the Muslim leadership need to share the blame too for the community s marginalisation. The nationwide electoral sidelining of extra than 14% of citizens has deep security implications. The BJP s electoral comfort has been shaken in Gujarat due to sustained articulations of grievances through marginalised communities. But Muslims who've legitimate motives for feeling alienated also are missing from this platform. It is time to ponder methods to paintings over this divide. This need to be civil society s agenda after the Gujarat verdict. Ahmedabad: Banned from using the word Pappu the ruling BJP in Gujarat has became to its other move-to nickname in an ad marketing campaign focused on Congress vice chairman Rahul Gandhi. The birthday celebration has already snagged the Election Commission s clearance for its new ad providing Yuvaraj or prince .The forty eight-2nd video uploaded these days on the Facebook page of BJP Gujarat is like the rejected clip set at a grocery keep. As a voice techniques the shop pronouncing Sir Sir the store proprietor s assistant says Yuvaraj has come . You can purchase something from here however you gained t get our votes pronounces the proprietor launching into a rant about the patron s beyond record. His wife has the final word her eyes uninteresting into the digital camera: For me most effective M will do. Several such videos have been put up by the BJP in the run-up to polls in Gujarat on December 9 and 14.One advert was dropped after the Election Commission objected to the usage of the phrase Pappu - which loosely interprets to idiot - pronouncing it ridicules a particular man or woman commonly recognized by means of that name. Pappu and Yuvaraj - a dig at the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and its grip on India s oldest political birthday party - are names generally used by BJP supporters to mock Rahul Gandhi on social media.Earlier this yr a Congress dissident become caught referring to his leader as Pappu on WhatsApp and paid dearly; he turned into out of the party soon after.In the advert that the BJP was compelled to drop a traveller processes a store and the workforce comments: Sir pappu bhai aaye lagte hain (appears Pappu has come) .As the media committee of the kingdom Election Commission requested the party to get rid of or replace the word the BJP insisted that it had made no direct reference or named all and sundry. But the commission s selection become unchanged.The stricture fired a buzz on social media and Pappu and #PappuCensored have become trending topics on Twitter.The results of the Gujarat election will be declared on December 18. Rahul Gandhi has campaigned aggressively in the kingdom to save you some other win for the BJP which has ruled Gujarat for 22 years. In devising his Gujarat marketing campaign Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi can also have made mistakes.The first changed into making demonetisation a big ballot trouble in opposition to the ruling BJP and the second pitching himself immediately against character of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.File photograph of Rahul Gandhi. PTIRahul and the Congress strategists must take a look at the latest survey of the nonpartisan Washington-based totally assume tank Pew Research Center on Modi Rahul Sonia the Congress position and public delight with the government.According to the file 88 percentage of Indians keep a favourable view of Modi. Contrary to a few arguments made in mainstream media and critics at various forums eighty three percent of Indians suppose that modern nation of economy is good and 70 percent of Indians are glad with path of the usa.What might further inspire Modi and his supporters is the reality that the survey indicates that after 3 years in workplace his honeymoon length continues. In truth his recognition is at an all-time excessive and unfold almost uniformly across all the regions no matter whether or not or now not his birthday celebration has substantial organisational base in the place.What amazed maximum in the north was Modi s reputation in 4 states within the south: 94 percentage in Andhra Pradesh Karnataka Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Kerala became now not surveyed.According to Pew Research Center 2 464 http://www.123contactform.com/form-3089218/My-Form respondents have been surveyed from 21 February to 10 March 2017 3-and-a-half months after Modi s demonetisation circulate. This become also the period wherein the BJP fashioned the authorities in four out of five Assembly elections consisting of Uttar Pradesh (an overwhelming victory) and won a series of city municipal and rural panchayat elections in numerous elements of the u . S . A ..The poll consequences proved that for the significant majority demonetisation turned into a big bold flow with the aid of Modi and they believed it was worthwhile to undergo quick-term ache for long-term benefit. Pew s findings reassert that conclusion. Pew took its own time analysing the survey and releasing it. But that s a matter in their internal scrutiny and processes.A question for Rahul and his birthday celebration managers to do not forget: Is Rahul doing himself and his birthday party any favours through endlessly speakme about demonetisation and blasting Modi in any respect boards in the run as much as Gujarat election?He harped on it in Himachal Pradesh in anything little campaigning he did inside the hill state. His tone and tenor has been a whole lot the same as it turned into in the aftermath of demonetisation and within the run up to the Assembly elections in 5 states.The Congress should argue that Goods and Services Tax (GST) got here in pressure 4 months after Pew survey and as a result its findings on level of delight with kingdom of economic system could be misleading. A sections of buyers businessmen and society have been angry with the manner GST turned into implemented. Some of their concerns and anger turned into justified.In truth the velocity with which the Modi government moved to take corrective measures with the top minister giving his ministers and officers a deadline and talking approximately the problem on multiple event suggests that the political management and BJP sensed possible pitfalls. But Rahul persisted to club collectively demonetisation and GST portraying Modi as a dictator while the fictitious ruthless dacoit Gabbar Singh from Sholay.Then there are Congressmen who sense that Rahul may also have made a mistake via pitching himself without delay towards Modi within the Gujarat election.In no nation election other than Uttar Pradesh where he failed time and again has Rahul campaigned so extensively and so aggressively as in Gujarat. After Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabh bhai Patel Modi has been Gujarat s towering chief. Modi who dominated the kingdom for thirteen years is now top minister. The human beings of Gujarat take a positive satisfaction in that: That Modi is the strongest top minister in records comparable best to Indira Gandhi.Consider what the Pew file said: 92 percent of Gujaratis approve of Modi s management. On the all-India level his popularity is 31 percent better than Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and 30 percentage higher than Rahul.Incidentally the Congress has after all of the hype and building up another time postponed Rahul s coronation as party president. Rahul was set to take over from his mother Sonia who has been party leader for 19 years. Perhaps the Congress did now not want to put its vice-president inside the tough spot of losing two states simply weeks after the planned ascension of Rahul to birthday celebration supremo.Another Pew locating that should disturb the Congress: Despite Rahul continually arguing that only four or five large business homes are benefitting from the Modi government 81 percent of respondents felt that Modi changed into assisting the poor. If this is real then Rahul s rate towards Modi located no takers. The prime minister s developing popularity can in component be traced to public pleasure along with his dealing with of domestic issues. At least seven of ten Indians approve of ways he has helped the terrible and handled unemployment terrorism and corruption. Approval in those four regions is up 10 points or greater considering that 2016 Pew record stated.It can be thrilling to peer how Rahul responds to the Pew survey findings. Will he push aside them as he did the World Bank Report on India making exquisite strides underneath the Modi regime on the ease of doing commercial enterprise or will he give it some critical concept?Something else Rahul should be preserve in mind: The Congress has no longer received an election in Gujarat considering the fact that 1985.