Gujarat polls: Why BJP has a lot at stake in Nandod

Saffron party has made the Statue of Unity and the Sardar Sarovar Dam the driving points of their campaign

The BJP, which is looking to hang on to its Gujarat stronghold, has a lot at stake in Nandod. The ST-reserved Assembly seat was won by the Congress in the 2017 polls.

The party has made the Statue of Unity and the Sardar Sarovar Dam - both PM Narendra Modi projects - the driving point of the BJP's campaign, according to an IE report. The only problem? The local people do not seem to really care much about either of them.

While the Modi government might consider erecting the world's tallest statue a mighty achievement, many locals do not see it that way. The tribals who live in the area have had to reorganise their lives around the project. A tea seller near the statue used to be the owner of a local shop. "Outsiders benefitted from the statue… what did tribal families get?" he asked IE. "Our properties were acquired while our children are still waiting for the promised jobs." He added that his two sons had submitted their resumes a year ago.

Along with the Statue of Unity came a tourism push in the region with one local observing that the government had "utilised every aspect of this location to turn it into a tourist spot". However, many who wanted to turn their houses into homestays were left to their own devices as going through government channels took too much time, had stringent specifications and petitions were often rejected.

Among the tribals who received employment, many were laid off during the Covid-19 pandemic and have not been rehired. "My son was employed as a security guard for the first two years but the outsourcing company laid off employees during the pandemic," a Limdi village resident told IE. "He is still waiting to hear back from them." He said that outsiders were hired for most of the skilled jobs.

There is also lingering unhappiness over the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited project due to the loss of tribal land. Though the tribals' case was thrown out of court, the protests continued while construction was under way.

Modi, meanwhile, said, "Tribal areas in Gujarat are blessed with places for tourism… we have strengthened the livelihood of tribals by developing Saputara and Statue of Unity." He said the BJP had a finger on the pulse of the tribals. The Sardar Sarovar Dam has resulted in the displacement of many people but the saffron party chose to praise Modi's vision. They also attacked the Congress and the AAP for associating themselves with anti-dam activists. Medha Patkar had recently joined Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, which drew flak, while the AAP came under fire for having once given Medha a poll ticket. The AAP has also fielded Prafula Vasava from Nandod, the man who led the protests against the land acquisition.

In Nandod, the BJP will also face the Congress, who dropped veteran P D Vasava for Haresh Vasava. The Congress said it believed that the latter had a stronger presence and felt the election would swing its way as people's basic needs were not being addressed. The saffron party has an additional obstacle in the form of rebel Harshad Vasava, who is contesting as an Independent. The AAP could also derail both parties' plans. While acknowledging that Harshad might cause a dent, a BJP leader told IE that there was no reason to worry since the tribals were now "side with the BJP's policies".

While the BJP lost the 2017 elections, it won the 2021 rural polls, which the BJP's Bharuch MP Mansukh Vasava said was the one to take cues from. "Winning the Kevadia seat in the Narmada district panchayat polls, as well as the control of the Narmada district, made a difference in the ground campaign… the major issues faced by the tribals are slowly getting resolved," he said.

Local people still feel, however, that political parties forget about the many promises made after they gain power.

The Gujarat elections will take place in two phases on Dec. 1 and 5. The results will be declared on Dec. 8.