The Hindu : BJP for early polls in Gujarat?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 31, 2002

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BJP for early polls in Gujarat?

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI MAY 30. The BJP has again begun toying with the idea of advancing Assembly elections in Gujarat scheduled for February-March 2003 sensing that its high expectations built up after what it described as the ``total Hindu-Muslim polarisation'' following the violence in Godhra and the rest of Gujarat may now have begun to give way to fears and disappointment with the lack of governance.

The arrests of the Sangh Parivar leaders could spell trouble for the BJP.

The party president, Jana Krishnamurthi, now visiting the State today, reportedly hinted at early elections.

This time he took with him to Gujarat not only Sanjay Joshi, west-zone in-charge which includes Gujarat, but also Pyarelal Khandelwal, general secretary in-charge of elections.

An assessment of the political ground situation is expected to be made before the party makes up its mind.

Party leaders now do not hide their disappointment and fear that the violence which had begun to taper off is again showing signs of erupting with a series of bomb blasts reported in Ahmedabad.

The prolonged violence, the continued existence of relief camps, curfew, and now the arrest of some Bajrang Dal, VHP and even BJP leaders, it is feared, could lead to a situation in which the so-called political pluses of communal fascism may dissipate as quickly as the gains were made.

The results of the Goa polls will also be factored in — the Gujarat violence had become a major poll issue in the Goa Assembly elections.

Another factor would be the reaction of the BJP's allies and ``friends'' like the Telugu Desam Party, which had extracted from the BJP the promise not to go in for early polls.

And, finally, much would also depend on the border situation with Pakistan.

The violence may have given a political high to those in the party who thought that the communal divide in the State would safely see the BJP home in an election. But it also did put a question mark on the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi's leadership qualities and encouraged the anti-Modi factions inside the party's State unit.

If and when Gujarat goes to the polls, the big challenge before the party would be to present a united face.

Finally, if K.P.S. Gill, security adviser to Mr. Modi, means business and starts to take action against those in the Sangh Parivar who participated freely in the violence, there could be ugly fights within the Parivar which would spell trouble for the BJP.

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