Why is it that Chief Minister Vijay Rupani rushes to his home town Rajkot frequently to attend the tiniest of events not befitting his stature? There is also a rumour that he may be looking for a safer constituency to contest the December 2017 assembly elections, though he and his BJP thump their chest to claim that the Congress is nowhere in the picture in Gujarat. Why?
The reason is Indranil Rajyaguru. All of 46, Congress strongman Indranil has chosen to leave his safe Rajkot East to come over the other side to contest from Rajkot West constituency to take on the chief minister head on.
There is nothing in this pocketborough of BJP that it can lose: Rajkot West is the party’s home town ever since 1985. Narendra Modi became the MLA and the chief minister for the first time from here in 2002 and so did Vijay Rupani in 2014, both through a by-election, in the seat vacated by former finance minister Vajubhai Vala. Vala, now the Karnataka Governor, again became the MLA from here in 2007 and in 2012.
Well, on the other hand, is a spirited Indranil Rajyaguru who has never lost an election, right from a class monitor in school, general secretary in college, as a corporator with the Rajkot Municipal Corporation to an MLA. In construction business, Rajyaguru is one of the richest legislators in Gujarat.
www.meranews.in caught up with Indranil to ask why does he want to leave his safe seat and try his luck in an unequal fight in an area under BJP’s vice-like grip for 32 years. Or has it been thrust upon him by the Congress high command, which otherwise has not been able to decide anything so far for the coming elections. He says it is his choice and has been approved by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi already, though no decision may have been taken about any other seat.
“I want to fight from here (Rajkot West) because, “A person with a weak mentality (Vijay Rupani) has occupied the topmost chair in Gujarat, and he doesn’t deserve to.”
Meanwhile, Rupani’s frequent visits here despite it being the BJP’s bastion might have lately gained him a ‘Common Man’ reputation, but Rajyaguru is the other worrying side of the story. Many in the BJP don’t approve of the chief minister spending so much time in his home town away from the state capital Gandhinagar, leaving other works. Never before has a BJP chief minister done so.
This can be explained by the way Rajyaguru is going about organising himself. He launched his election campaign more than one and a half months ago after a meeting with the top brass of the Congress.
“Team Indranil For You”, is a carefully planned platform that aims at lokshahi ma logjagran’ (public awakening in democracy) to choose a right candidate. Those who become part of team Indranil are given free passes to live concerts of noted singers,lok dayro, mataji no mandvo and other such folk programmes, which capture the pulse of the peole. Around 30 such programmes have been organised by Rajyaguru for free and participated by thousands of people.
Despite BJP’s hold over the area as well as both at the Centre and State, Rajyaguru feels, “This is not a tough seat.” Rajyaguru is aware that the Congress machinery is “inactive” and caught up in internecine troubles, but he says all this does not affect him in Rajkot West.
He is hopeful that “around 50 per cent of upper cast voters who traditionally voted for BJP in this constituency will vote for me. There will be over three lakh voters this year, of which 50 per cent are upper caste voters. I am confident that apart from the minorities and other castes, there will be a shift of votes. Through Team Indranil For You, I am trying to change the mindset of people. Today, people have lot of complaints about what is happening around them. If they want to cleanse the system, they have to start from their own selves first.”
Experts believe that “this time there is enough time for Congress to do ground work. There is no other candidate than Rajyaguru in Congress to fight against Rupani.”
Rajyaguru is probably the only candidate who has asked people to “test me before voting.” Anyone can call him and come to his office “with genuine problems.” He personally responds to whoever approaches him and has virtually distributed his mobile number.
Rajyaguru has distributed leaflets door to door sharing his personal mobile numbers that read ‘khota saame chhu majbut padkar, banva mangu chhu Aapno sathidar.’ “Anyone in my constituency can try and test me before casting their votes. Hence I have shared my personal number with all. My priority is not election, but to bring change in the mindset of people in selecting a right candidate.”
He goes on, “This is an era, I believe, that even if Mahatma Gandhi is born, no one will realise. People’s mindset has been damaged to that extent. My fight is for the truth and to awaken people to understand true democracy.”
Rajyaguru so far claims to have conducted around 150 meetings and approached over 1.5 lakh people. But when asked what if he loses the election, Rajyaguru shrugs, “If they do not wake up, I have no reason to be in politics.”
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