New Delhi. Today the results of the assembly elections 2022 in Gujarat are coming. The Bharatiya Janata Party is going to create a new record in its stronghold of Gujarat. In fact, this is the first time since 2002 that the BJP is heading towards victory with such a huge margin. BJP is doing wonders in almost all areas of Gujarat. These areas have been strongholds of the Congress and the Indian Tribal Party. The big trump card played by the Bharatiya Janata Party by making Draupadi Murmu the President seems to be successful. The results, especially in the tribal areas of eastern Gujarat, have surprised everyone. Barring two seats of Vansda (ST) and Khedbhrama, the BJP is inching closer to winning 23 seats. The performance in all the important tribal dominated seats in Surat, Tapi and Bharuch districts like Dang, Nijar, Vyara, Mandvi and Jhagadia is something to celebrate for the BJP.
Significantly, since 2002, the Bharatiya Janata Party has been continuously trying to establish its influence in the Congress-dominated region of East Gujarat. In the 2017 elections, the Congress won 15 of the 27 ST-reserved seats in Gujarat. Here the BJP had to be content with eight seats. Whereas, Bharatiya Tribal Party of Chhotu Vasava got two seats and one seat went to the account of an independent candidate. In the 2022 Gujarat elections, the BJP has counted on ‘Modi magic’ and its ‘Gaurav Yatra’ organized in tribal areas to appease tribal voters.
The key to victory in northeast Gujarat lies with the tribal belt, which accounts for 8.1 per cent of India’s ST population. According to the 2011 census, the tribal population in Gujarat was 89.17 lakh, which is about 15 percent of its total population. It is largely spread over the 14 eastern districts of the state and concentrated in 48 taluks. This time Modi magic has worked in the tribal community in Gujarat.
AAP becoming trouble for Congress?
One of the biggest reasons for the defeat of the Congress is that more parties were in the fray, especially the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which influenced the Congress vote and benefited the BJP, according to political experts with knowledge of Gujarat politics. . In many tribal seats, AAP candidates have benefited the BJP by taking away the votes of the Congress. Also, in the last few years, prominent local tribal Congress leaders have crossed over to the BJP.
BJP got record breaking vote in tribal dominated areas
During the last few decades, awareness about the vote and the government has increased among the tribals. This time the voter turnout in the tribal dominated seats of South Gujarat ranged between 65 to 74%. The results suggest that voters in key constituencies of Vyara, Nizar, Dang, Dediapada and Jhagadia have rejected the Congress and the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP). The BJP did not suffer losses after issues such as the Par-Tapi-Narmada river-linking projects, unemployment, loss of valuable land parcels to tribals in the Statue of Unity (SOU) project.
Congress’s life has become its own leader
Congress had performed well in Gujarat in 2017 elections but then it had big leaders of Gujarat politics like Jignesh Mevani, Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor. This time in Vyara assembly constituency, a Congress bastion, Congress’ sitting MLA Punaji Gamit, who is contesting for the fourth consecutive term, lost to BJP’s Mohan Konkani. In 2017, Punaji Gamit won with a margin of 24,414 votes. Whereas, sitting Congress MLA Sunil Gamit for the first time lost to BJP’s Dr. Jairam Gamit in Nizar assembly constituency of Tapi district. In 2017, Sunil Gamit won the Rann of Nizar with a winning margin of over 23,000 votes. This time the victory that the Bharatiya Janata Party has achieved in Gujarat is historic and the claims of the Aam Aadmi Party have appeared to be failing.