Jignesh Mevani has been on a journey to become a national icon for some years now, but that has not been without controversies. The young Dalit leader from Vadgam made his mark an Independent candidate and will now be contesting upcoming Gujarat elections from the Congress ticket, after joining the party earlier this year.
There are several issues Mevani is bringing to the fore in his speeches including inflation, lack of affordable health care, unemployment and farmers’ issues. He is also raising the issue of freeing Bilkis Bano convicts, an issue only raised by Congress in their manifesto, and aims to target the main rival BJP for not only freeing but welcoming the convicts.
Mevani, known for his oratory skills, connects with people, a skill he hopes to bank on as one of the star campaigners for Congress.
The young leader wants to 'remain loyal' to his grassroots and to the core issues of Gujarat in most of his campaign speeches, one of them being the issue of providing Narmada water to the local Mukteshwar dam and Karmavat lake.
When asked about the defection issue, seen in many states around election time, Mevani said while other MLAs are being bought for crores, he didn't break the trust of people of Vadgam and never will.
Mevani has been vocal against Dalit atrocities across India and came to the limelight when raised his voice in the 2016 Una Dalit assault case.
Mevani approached all obstacles during his campaign with an infectious zeal. When faced with a dearth of funds, he launched a crowdfunding campaign. The youngest leader in one of the oldest parties, Mevani managed to collect over Rs 6 lakh on the website ourdemocracy.in.
Gujarat assembly elections are anticipated as the state represents political assertions of the country where the BJP, Congress and AAP will challenge each other in BJP's home state.
Young leaders like Mevani, Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor will be tested this time and will make the race tighter. Their victory or failure will indicate their future national leadership roles.