By Saarthak Anand
Political dynamics in Gujarat continue to shift rapidly. Former Congressman Shankersinh Vaghela has joined Jan Vikalp, a political front floated by a group of professionals who are his supporters. The party was reluctant to name him as the Chief Ministerial (CM) candidate for the upcoming Assembly polls in the state. Such a concern led to the former Chief Minister quitting Congress in July. During a press conference on 19 September, Vaghela said, When these professionals conveyed this to me, I decided to extend my support to it. They asked me to be with them and lead this front. The Kshatriya strongman announced that the new front would contest all of the states 182 Assembly seats.
A wide-open election with high hopes
Polls are scheduled in Gujarat for December. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been in power in the state uninterruptedly since 1998 is battling anti-incumbency. It has recently faced agitations by Patidars, backward classes and textile traders in Surat. For the first time in more than a decade, the party will not be contesting elections under Narendra Modis leadership. Vaghela announced that he himself would not be contesting the polls. However, he did not deny the possibility of leading a future government if Jan Vikalp grabs a majority.
A legitimate purpose to serve
Having served in both BJP and Congress, Vaghela is seeking to portray the new outfit as a clean and viable alternative to both parties. He stated, This is not a party, its a front which will become the voice of the people who are unhappy with the system… There will be no high-command system. Local representatives will choose our candidates. We will follow the primaries system of the United States, where party workers select their candidates, not just one leader. He also remarked that the fronts campaign would be positive. It would be based on issues related to governance, while personal comments on leaders of rival parties would be absent.
A determined comeback to win
Jan Vikalp is seen as an attempt by the 77-year-old leader to stay politically relevant. Having played a crucial role in BJPs victory in the 1995 Assembly elections, he rebelled and reigned as a CM for two years. He was also able to merge his newly formed Rashtriya Janata Party with Congress. The CMs chair has continued to elude him. The front will launch its political campaign on September 21 the first day of Navratri from the states Ambaji temple. Gujarats politics has historically been bipolar in nature, with BJP and Congress being the dominant forces. However, this time the Aam Aadmi Party and the Nationalist Congress Party are in the fray as well. Vaghela has announced that he is open to alliances with these parties.
Tougher battles ahead
It is quite likely that Jan Vikalp will do more damage to Congress than to the saffron party. The third front has traditionally not been too successful in Gujarat. It often aids the ruling party by splitting the anti-incumbency vote. The 2012 elections saw former CM Keshubhai Patel forming the Gujarat Parivartan Party only to win two seats. The party, however, chipped into a significant vote share, which would have otherwise won the Congress a few more seats. With just a few months to go for the elections, latest developments that could possibly alter the outcome are yet to be seen. Congress is eyeing a comeback in Gujarat after being out of power for twenty years. Meanwhile, BJP is fighting a prestige battle as it sees the state as one of its strongest spheres of influence.
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