The challenge posed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and agitations by local tribals against various government projects could queer the pitch for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the south Gujarat region in the coming Assembly elections.
With the date of the first phase of polling on December 1 approaching, the BJP has intensified its campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the tribal belt of south Gujarat, a Congress bastion. Apart from the traditional rivalry between the ruling BJP and Congress, the region is abuzz with the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party, which is threatening both the parties,
Gujarat Assembly elections: While the tribal-dominated areas are still considered the BJP s Achilles heel, urban voters in south Gujarat had stood firmly behind the party in 2017, belying predictions that it will face a route in Surat city.
It was not without reason that Prime Minister Narendra Modi held his first rally after the elections were declared in South Gujarat’s tribal belt where he said that for him “A in ABCD means Adivasi.”
The state will see an election this time around where the ruling BJP's pre-eminence will be challenged. The entry of AAP will only complicate what could have been a straight fight between the BJP and Congress.