The Hindu : Suspense over Ellisbridge seat ends

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 26, 2002

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National

Suspense over Ellisbridge seat ends

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI NOV. 25 . The suspense over the Ellisbridge Assembly seat in Gujarat ended today with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announcing the candidature of the Ahmedabad Municipal Councillor, Bhavin Seth, from the seat, after the former State Home Minister and Narendra Modi's detractor, Haren Pandya, declared that he was opting out of the race.

As Mr. Pandya had made no secret of his displeasure at being kept out of the four BJP lists, the episode came as an embarrassment to BJP bigwigs. With the announcement of the Ellisbridge seat, the BJP has declared its candidates for all the 182 Assembly seats in Gujarat, which goes to polls on December 12. The Congress has fielded Pradipbhai Kantilal Ruwala from Ellisbridge.

While admitting that the absence of a minority candidate in its lists was a ``weakness'', the BJP president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, claimed that finalisation of candidates was a ``smooth affair'' and that there was ``very minimum discontentment.''

Mr. Naidu said that Mr. Pandya had neither made any demand nor was any commitment given to him by the party's central leadership. He admitted that initially there were ``two different views'' on finalising the candidate for Ellisbridge assembly seat, but the Mr. Pandya's gesture had done the party proud.

The BJP chief said that of the 182 party candidates, 11 were women, 10 doctors, 65 from the field of agriculture, 31 from business background, 30 associated with the social sector, 14 from the scheduled castes and 27 from the scheduled tribes. Nineteen sitting MLAs had been dropped. Efforts were on to persuade the three sitting party MLAs to withdraw their candidatures as rebels.

Visualising a ``resounding victory'' for the BJP, Mr. Naidu claimed that the Congress would be left counting its ``margin of defeat.'' Would Godhra be an election issue? ``Only if others make it,'' Mr. Naidu said.

``The main contest in Gujarat will be between nationalist forces and pseudo-secular elements. The game plan of the pseudo-secular forces is to divide Hindus on the basis of religion. Is this secularism? We will counter this disinformation campaign against the State Government, the party, the people and the country. The Congress even had the audacity to suggest that, if voted to power, it would invite the U.S. Religion Sub-Committee to probe what has happened in Gujarat. This is inviting foreign forces in our sovereign country,'' Mr. Naidu said.

Responding to a query, the BJP chief said that peace would be an issue in the Gujarat polls. ``Peace is the need of the hour. We will focus our campaign on our Government's achievements. We are ready to have a debate on performance. Our campaign, beginning November 30, will be fair and accurate,'' he asserted.

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