BJP woos rebels, Congress leaders

VADODARA: BJP's recruiting Congress leaders and organizing a two-day state executive meeting in Vadodara after a gap of 13 years point to party's determination to bolster itself in central Gujarat. The region has been a major issue with the BJP, which has struggled to make inroads barring the exception of the 2002 assembly elections held in the aftermath of post-Godhra riots.
The BJP considers Vadodara, Panchmahal, Dahod, Anand, Kheda, Bharuch and Narmada districts as part of central Gujarat for party affairs. In 2002, the party had won 42 of the 49 seats in the region. But its tally came down to 22 in the 2007 polls. Traditionally too the region has been leaning towards the Congress barring urban and semi-urban pockets. The strong tribal vote bank in the northern belt of the region has contributed to this along with the rural voters comprising the backward classes, OBCs and Kshatriyas.
Besides losing seats, the party has also witnessed severe infighting amongst its own cadres in the region. But the recent district panchayat polls have given the party some hope of bouncing back in the region and it wants to repeat this performance in the 2012 assembly polls. The party is ruling six district panchayats out of the seven on its own and in Bharuch it has a majority courtesy, the alliance with the JDU.
Sources said the BJP has set itself a target of 151 seats this time around and reaching it would not be possible if central Gujarat once again slipped out of its hands. According to insiders, the process of wooing Congress leaders and ensuring that rebels returned to the party fold was aimed at achieving its objective. Former state minister and ex-Congress MLA from Halol Udesinh Baria joined the party recently. Former state minister and former IPS officer Jaspal Singh also made a comeback. Other smaller leaders are also being wooed. A senior BJP functionary claimed that many more Congress leaders were keen to join the party.
Senior party leaders have also ruled out any chances of discontent due to the induction of leaders from other parties. State unit president R C Faldu had said on Friday that talks of discontent were just talks. "This is not a reality in the party," he added.
State BJP vice-president said the party always worked with the target of winning all the 182 seats in Gujarat. "The Congress is ruined in the state and their workers are ready to leave the party. Several have joined us in the past too," he said adding that the party was always open to considering any leader wishing to join it.