Gujarat polls: Will a new social coalition trump a deep divide in Bhuj

There were only a couple of days left before the town would go to polls, but there was hardly any reflection in Bhuj of the intense political tension that has gripped Gujarat. A banner here, a loudspeaker there, a few campaign vehicles meandering the streets; that apart it seemed business-as-usual for the district headquarters of Kutch.

On the surface, Bhuj and its people seem oblivious to one of the most bitterly contested elections in Gujarat's recent memory. But scratch the surface and the town reveals a deep divide on communal lines: With Muslims constituting more than 35% of the Bhuj's population, Hindus seem unnerved with the prospect of a member from the minority community getting elected. This may eventually lead them to vote for “one of their own.”

This is not a first for Bhuj. One of the reasons for the Bharatiya Janata Party winning this seat in the past might have been polarisation as the Congress is seen to be sympathetic to Muslims.

What has been forgotten amid the narrative of “our candidate vs theirs” is vikas – the development vis-a-vis 'Gujarat model' that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would never fail to talk about when he was the Chief Minister.

Bhuj discusses development only as an afterthought. The general consensus among its Hindus is to vote for the “right candidate”.

“Congress didn't leave us with any choice,” says Sanjay Shah, a prominent businessman who trades in plywood. “We were hoping they would field a deserving candidate, but their experts seem to have suggested otherwise. I hope you understand what I mean by deserving,” adds Shah, who claims to earn enough to feed his family for the next three generations.

He claims to have wanted to vote for the grand old party but changed his mind after it named Adambhai Chaki as its candidate from Bhuj Assembly constituency. Shah is not alone. There are many others who are likely to vote against the Congress candidate without even discussing his qualification or merits.

As Shah offers this correspondent a cup of sweet tea, he frequently mentions how “dhandha” – the all-important trade – has suffered since Modi surprised everyone with his decision to ban high-value currency notes. Further, a “hastily implemented” Goods and Services Tax broke the back of Bhuj's business community, according to him.

Even then he would vote for the saffron party as he thinks the Congress never learns from its “mistakes”: “Had they fielded a Hindu, the Congress would have won by a huge margin as a section of Hindus, particularly from the business community, would have voted for them in wake of the twin evils of GST and demonitisation.”

As mentioned earlier, Shah isn't alone. “He looks like a hardcore Muslim. Have you looked at his beard?” says another trader about Chaki.

So did the Congress really let go of an opportunity? Iqbal Khan disagrees.

This auto-rickshaw driver points out that the Congress lost the seat in 2012 to the BJP's Nimaben Aacharya despite fielding Amirali Hajihushen Lodhiya, a Hindu. In fact, Lodhiya lost by some 9,000 votes despite the Muslims voting him, Khan says.

He thinks Chaki got the ticket on merit and not simply because of his religion. But yes, this could also be Congress's strategy to keep the Muslim votes from five other constituencies in Kutch with the party. Overall, the district has a 22% Muslim population.

Aacharya is back in the fray and Khan thinks she has a better chance to win because of development. “The BJP has provided electricity, water and road to villagers. Farmers have also benefited a lot,” he points out.

So what about the Dalits and Patidar? Would they vote the Congress? That would be something Khan says as his eyes light up: “Patidars voting a Muslim would be a dream-come-true – a sign of how communal harmony was intentionally disturbed by some elements for political gains,” he says.