Barely a fortnight before Gujarat Assembly elections, the Congress in the state is radiating optimism as never before. Drubbed in the state in the past four Assembly elections, the party is oozing confidence this time round.
?We?ll fix him (chief minister Narendra Modi),? exults Naresh Rawal, erstwhile industries minister of the state during the tenure of late Congress CM Chimanbhai Patel and one of the party?s senior leaders in the state.
The Congress is basing its optimism about its poll prospects in Gujarat, which has gained the notoriety of being Hindutva?s laboratory especially over the past 10 years, based on the voting patterns in Gujarat. ?Gujarat voting patterns are directly influenced by the political scene at the national level,? Rawal asserts citing examples. ?When Pandit Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi were PMs, Gujarat had Congress governments too. However, when the Janata Dal came to power in 1977, Gujarat had its first non-Congress CM, Babubhai Jasbhai Patel. And since Delhi has a Congress-led government at the Centre this time round, we are bound to win the Assembly polls in Gujarat,? says a confidant Rawal.
But historical voting patterns alone are not the sole reason for the Congress party?s confidence. Internal dissidence within the BJP as also Modi?s insensitive handling of farmers issues are other important factors which are expected to be his undoing this time round.
Given the scenario, the Congress is leaving no stone unturned to ensure Modi?s ouster. From providing 100 spanking new Innovas to all block-level leaders for electioneering with the slogan ?Chak De Congress? emblazoned on them to a helicopter and aircraft kept on stand by to ensure that all leaders can visit their constituencies as and when the need arises, the Congress is unleashing money power too in a big way.