All eyes are on the Patidar swing as polling in the first phase of the Gujarat assembly elections got underway. The BJP had a tough campaign on hand as Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor tried to rally their respective communities- Patidars, Dalits and OBCs against the ruling party.
The agitation by the Patidars did appear strong. Many analysts said that they would be a deciding factor and if en-masse they vote against the BJP, then the ruling party could be in trouble. However, from what has been witnessed in the past, it is clear that the Patidars would remain united is not a guarantee. Many within the BJP say that the issue has been hyped up and in reality, most of them are still with the BJP. For Hardik Patel, the run-up to the elections was not exactly a smooth one. Many insiders had broken away from him at key moments. This itself was a signal that the Patidars may not be able to create such a big dent in the BJP's prospects. With the split in the Patidar votes more or less certain, the focus would shift to the OBCs who make up for the 51 percent of the population of the state. While in many seats the Patidars are the largest bloc, the OBCS would still count. Despite not being the largest bloc they will continue to play kingmaker in several seats. The move by Alpesh Thakor towards the Congress may have appeared to be a major boost for the party. However, the BJP does not see this as a major factor as the Thakors are traditionally Congress voters. OneIndia News