In Gujarat, the electoral battle may have been a two-party affair between the Congress and the BJP for the last two decades, but on April 30, the polls here are going to witness multi-cornered contests in several constituencies. The tear-away BJP rebel outfit, the Mahagujarat Janata Party (MJP), could particularly damage saffron prospects in some constituencies.

The infighting that characterised the Congress is now rampant in the BJP. The party’s candidate from Surat, Darshana Jardosh, who replaced six-time MP Kashiram Rana grudgingly admits on record that her own party men sabotage her prospects. Moreover, the Patel factor has further upset the political calculations. One of the most influential communities in Gujarat, the Patels have traditionally been staunch BJP supporters. However, community leaders refused to pledge their undivided allegiance this time, due to the sidelining of key Patel leaders, including former CM Keshubhai Patel.

However, what is an even bigger surprise is the BJP’s list of candidates . The party has fielded Congress rejects Bhavsinh Rathore and Somji Damor from Patan and Dahod respectively and there are more former Congressmen in the BJP camp elsewhere.

The Congress, meanwhile, which won 12 seats in the 2004 polls, is seeking a mandate again for three Union ministers, Shankersinh Vaghela, Naran Rathwa and Dinsha Patel. All three hail from Central Gujarat, which the Congress won back after it lost the region to the BJP in 2002 Assembly polls.

Political watchers say that though parties like the BSP, NCP and MJP may not nab any Lok Sabha seats, they may prove to be spoilers for the BJP and Congress. Sociologist N Rajaram of M S University at Vadodara says that non-BJP and non-Congress parties that are trying to create political space for themselves may succeed if they play the tie-up game well. He cites the seat-sharing deal between the Congress and NCP during Assembly polls, in which the parties won three seats. As both parties share almost the same vote bank, the NCP may damage Congress prospects in the seven constituencies it is contesting.

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