With Gujarat RS elections around the corner, BJP devises new strategies

The Election Commission has announced March 1 as the date for holding Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat to fill up the two vacant seats. Two separate notifications have been issued for the election of both the seats. As a result, the BJP is expected to win both the seats. The Congress has opposed this move. The moot question right now is who the BJP is going to nominate for the Rajya Sabha election and whether the Congress will field its candidates. In case the Congress decides not to put up its candidates, both the BJP will be announced elected unopposed.

Ahmedabad/Rajkot: Two members of Rajya Sabha, Abhay Bharadwaj of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Ahmed Patel of Congress have recently died after contracting the coronavirus. Abhay Bharadwaj was new to politics while Ahmed Patel was a stalwart and political advisor of Sonia Gandhi. Ahmed Patel’s death has created a big vacuum in Congress party. The two Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat have fallen vacant following the deaths of these two MPs. The election for these seats is to be held on March 1.

Politics has heated up before Rajya Sabha polls

Earlier on June 19, 2020, the election for four Rajya Sabha seats was held in which four candidates had filed their nomination. The BJP had fielded three candidates and the Congress two. At the time, BJP played politics and secured the resignation of eight Congress MLAs because of which three BJP candidates managed to win the election. While Shaktisinh Gohil of the Congress got elected, Bharatsinh Solanki lost. This was the recent example. Politics heats up every time there is Rajya Sabha election.

At present BJP has 111 members and Congress 65 in the state assembly

In the 2017 Gujarat assembly elections, BJP had won 99 seats and the Congress 77. Today, BJP has 111 seats and Congress 65. Thus, Congress’s strength in the state assembly has reduced by 12 members. In this situation, both the BJP candidates are certain to win the Rajya Sabha election as two separate notifications have been issued by the election commission. According to reliable sources, the Congress is likely to move the high court seeking one combined election for both the Rajya Sabha seats instead of they being held separately.

What does the resignation of Dinesh Trivedi indicate?

In the meantime, Dinesh Trivedi, a senior leader of Trinamool Congress (TMC) and a close associate of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Friday. In a statement before the Rajya Sabha, he said he was feeling uncomfortable in TMC. "There is corruption and rioting in my state but I am unable to do anything. Hence, I think it is better for me to resign," he said. He gave credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the country’s development. This has given rise to the belief that he will soon join the BJP and be elected to the Rajya Sabha from the Gujarat quota.

BJP’s gameplan

Speaking about Dinesh Trivedi’s resignation and the likelihood of joining the BJP, a senior journalist from Rajkot, Sunil Joshi told ETV Bharat that this has been BJP’s main strategy. In whichever area the BJP is not in a position to win, it wins over local prominent leaders of that area. This helps the BJP win in this area easily in future. One can witness the same situation in West Bengal where the BJP is unable to get the desired results despite trying hard. So, the BJP is now trying this new strategy.

Dinesh Trivedi’s Gujarat connection

Dinesh Trivedi has a Gujarat connection. He is from Bindada village of Kutch and had contested the Lok Sabha election from Kuch in 1996 on a Congress ticket but lost to BJP’s Pushpadan Gadhavi. He is sure to win the Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat if he contests as a BJP candidate.

Mamata Banerjee had taken his resignation as Railway minister in 24 hours

This is the same Dinesh Trivedi who had become railway minister in UPA-2. He had increased the passenger fare in the 2012 railway budget which angered Mamata who asked for his resignation within 24 hours and made Mukul Roy the railway minister. If such a treatment is meted to Dinesh Trivedi, it is natural for him to feel choked. Now he has resigned and is believed to join the BJP. BJP is likely to give him a Rajya Sabha ticket and benefit from his seniority.