Patels dominate scene in S'rashtra

RAJKOT: Patels still seem to beholding the key to the keen contest in Saurashtra, as the outcome of theelection to its 58 seats will decide as to who will get a majority in the182-member Gujarat Assembly.From the 58 seats in Saurashtra, the BJP hasfielded 20 Patels and the Congress at one less, has fielded 19. Besides castepolitics, which in the new political jargon is termed as the "winnabilityfactor", there is very little that the two main parties have given a thought toin regard to the selection of candidates.Elections in Saurashtra havealways been caste-based and the Patels are numerically the strongest followed bythe Rabaris, Brahmins, Lohanas and Ahirs, besides other sizeable clusters likeKshatriyas, Dalits, Kolis, Mers and Kolis.In the Rajkot district alone,there are seven BJP Patel candidates contesting on eleven seats while theCongress has fielded six. Both the Congress and the BJP have not differentiatedmuch between the Kadva and Leuva Patels.While Patels account for nearly 30percent of the total electorate in Saurashtra, they are followed by Brahmins andLohana who together account for nearly 23 percent. Ahirs, Kolis and Dalitsaccount for another 25 percent with other castes chipping in therest.After the Patels, members of the Koli, Dalit, Kshatriya and Ahircommunities have been given importance by the political parties. While the BJPhas given tickets to five candidates from the Ahir and Koli community, theCongress has given seven seats to the Kshatriyas and Kolis respectively,followed by six to the Dalits. The BJP too has offered the Dalits same number ofseats.While the Congress has fielded two Muslim candidates, notsurprisingly, the BJP has not fielded a single candidate from the community. Thelatter, however, has fielded four candidates each from the Vanik, Lohana andKshatriya communities, with the Congress putting up two candidates each from theVanik, Brahmin, Lohana, Mer and Karadiya Rajput sections of thepopulation.According to Mohan Kundariya, a BJP candidate from Padhadhari,"The Patels hold a sway over the political parties as they are not only cashrich but also have the necessary muscle power. Besides that, Saurashtra being anagriculture-dominated region and most people being farmers by birth, theimportance of Patels cannot be overlooked by any of the parties."EchoesVithal Radadiya, the Congress candidate from Dhoraji, "Patels have a lot ofconnections in foreign countries and hence the flow of money is not a problemduring elections. In Saurashtra, everything hovers around Patels who aredominant in all spheres of life, including the industrial and agriculturalsectors and hence they hog the limelight." It is another matter that mostof the elder Patels are illiterate and stamp on party symbols. However, theyounger generation has changed and votes keeping the candidate in mind, headded.