Polls brings to fore differences in BJP

gandhinagar: the two assembly and parliamentary by-polls -- the results of which will be known on saturday--have thrown up sharp differences within the ruling bjp. top sources said here on friday that at least three bjp heavy-weights -- ex-minister and senior bjp leader ashok bhatt, state education minister anandiben patel and minister of state for home haren pandya -- felt 'sidelined' during the whole campaign.a top minister said these three apart, there were at least half-a-dozen other senior leaders who gone only to show their face and completed a formality during the party's poll campaign. bhatt, despite initial reports of having been given charge of organising electioneering in sabarmati, did not make his presence felt. a senior bjp minister said, "bhatt felt he was not being consulted during the poll campaign; he decided to remain aloof for most of the time, except for some fleeting appearances." this has surprised the bjp because bhatt has always been at the forefront of any bjp campaign. anandiben, who lives in the sabarmati constituency area, was more concerned about ascertaining the voter turnout in various areas, say insiders. the dissident camp was happy to know that few people had gone to vote in bjp strongholds. as for pandya, sources revealed, he gave "clear cut instructions to the state police not to take sides". the sabarmati bypoll, considered crucial from a bjp perspective, was being managed mainly by two bjp general secretaries -- sanjay joshi and gordhan zadaphia. those who took "considerable interest" included state energy minister kaushik patel and irrigation minister nitin patel. yet, said a cabinet colleague of the cm, "mistrust for the local bjp workers was complete". whether it was sabarmati or sabarkantha, even polling agents were brought from as far away as saurashtra. "many of the agents present in booths did not even know the local voters," the minister added. joshi, an rss appointee from nagpur in the state bjp, was particularly keen on analysing the voter sentiment. it is under his guidance that a fortnight before the polls a gallup poll was carried out in sabarmati, revealing sharp resentments among middle class voters over the madhavpura bank scam. the poll revealed that if the bank was not revived, the party would lose heavily. a mere 15 per cent supported the bjp. based on the gallup poll, the cm went into action and ensured that the banks' shutters were opened a couple of days before polling-day, leading to some hope that the party might manage to retain the sabarmati seat.