Rajkot West constituency has been BJP’s bastion for over 30 years now. Narendra Modi came to power in Gujarat in a 2002 bypoll from this seat. The same feat was later repeated by Vijay Rupani in the 2014 bypoll and he was soon made the Chief Minister of the state in 2016.
However, this time around, Rupani’s challenger is well-prepared to bring down the BJP flag from this prestigious constituency. Indranil Rajyaguru, the sitting MLA from Rajkot East, has declared open war against Rupani in the upcoming polls. Rajyaguru is confident that he will overthrow the BJP guard at Rajkot once and for all.
BJP’s Fortress
It was BJP’s Vajubhai Vala who clinched the seat from the Congress in the 1984 elections and remained its MLA till 2002. He again became the MLA from the constituency as Modi switched his constituency to Maninagar in Ahmedabad for the 2002 assembly elections. Vala holds the record of presenting the budget in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly 18 times as the state’s finance minister.
Vala held fort till August 2014, when he was the incumbent Gujarat assembly speaker and resigned as the MLA from Rajkot West after he was appointed the Governor of Karnataka. Soon, Vijay Rupani was nominated by the BJP to contest for the vacant seat and he won the bypoll on held on 19 October 2014 by a huge margin.
New Contender an Experienced Warhorse
Despite BJP’s strong roots in Rajkot West, 55-year-old Indranil Rajyaguru from the Congress and sitting MLA from Rajkot East changed his constituency to take the chief minister head on.
An entrepreneur, Rajguru was probably the first candidate in Gujarat who announced his intentions to take on CM Rupani back in 2016. He told The Quint reasons behind changing the constituency, “Rupani who has a weak mentality, has now occupied the topmost position in Gujarat government. This should not be tolerated. He (Rupani) does not deserve this position; I personally know him and am aware of the work that he has done. The day he became the Chief minister, I ad decided to contest against him.”
His Courtship of Voters Began Early
While other candidates were eyeing a ticket in the upcoming elections, Rajyaguru started his campaign way back in 2016. “I have always believed in personal meetings and I have had ample time to interact with people from my constituency. The people of Rajkot know who has done what work. Rajkot has given three chief ministers and one Prime minister, but the affairs of the city are not hidden to anyone.”
Some months back, Rajyaguru as a part of his campaign asked people to “test me before voting,” claiming that anyone can call him and come to his office with genuine problems. He claims that he personally responds to whoever approaches him.
Unconventional Methods
Thousands of leaflets were distributed door-to-door with Rajyaguru’s personal mobile numbers and read ‘khota saame chu majbut padkar, banva mangu chu aapno sathidar.’(I am a strong challenge against wrongdoers, I want to become your companion.)”
“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 the election, but to bring change in the mindset of people in picking a right candidate. My fight is for the right and to awaken people to understand true democracy.”
‘Team Indranil For You’
Months before he was declared the candidate from Rajkot West, Rajyaguru started ‘Team Indranil for You' – a carefully planned campaign that aims at ‘Lokshahi ma Lokjagran' (public awakening in democracy).
Rajyaguru claims that the campaign is focused on changing the public mindset towards a healthy and secure community. Rajyaguru gathered huge crowds organising concerts, dayra (folk songs that narrate folk stories), and Kawalli programmes, among other events.
To counter Modi’s ‘Chai pe Charcha’ he started ‘Coffee with Congress', where the young voter can walk in, have their questions answered by Rajyaguru himself, listen to live music and chow down on unlimited pizza, sandwiches, spring rolls, and pastas that are a part of a specially designed menu for the campaign.
A Big Fat Wallet
Rajyaguru is one of the richest candidates in the elections, with assets declared to the tune of Rs 141 crore. Passionate about horse-riding, trekking, car rallies and singing, Rajyaguru claims he was born to win. “I have never lost any election so far whether it was for the classroom monitor, corporator or MLA. This is not as tough a seat as it seems to be and I am confident of my win.”
Of the total eight seats in Rajkot district, Rajkot West has the highest voters, totalling to 3,14,696. Of the total voters, one lakh voters of Patels and Brahmins. As a Brahmin, Rajguru believes that the majority of upper castes, in addition to other castes, will vote for him.
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