Gujarat elections 2012: Issues that matter
Finally the Hindutva and secularism card has been put on the backburner after a long time in the forthcoming Gujarat assembly elections by the two leading political parties- Congress and BJP.
In a sensational statement, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi gave an open challenge to all by saying that if he is guilty of collusion in the Gujarat riots then he should be hanged. While adding more to the surprise, Congress party spokesperson Rashid Alvi said it is not necessary that 2002 riots will be an election issue for the Congress party this time.
With Narendra Modi not missing a single chance to fetch means of development in Gujarat and Congress not gunning Modi on his Godhra backgrounder, it would really be very interesting to see the issues that will dominate this time the Gujarat Elections.
Gujarat is tipped to be a virtual straight fight between the BJP and the Congress. Narendra Modi’s prime ministerial ambitions will also depend on the outcome of the ensuing polls. The results will also determine the might of BJP and pave its path for the 2014 General Elections. Gujarat is the most important state since the elections in UP, where Congress and BJP were shown the door by Samajwadi Party.
On the one hand where Congress would be hoping to dismantle the Modi government from its 10 year reign, BJP will be fighting tooth and nail to keep Congress at bay. Dissidents in BJP have also complicated matters in Gujarat and also for Modi. The ex-BJP strong man Keshubhai Patel is also hoping to upset the Modi applecart with his newly formed party, Gujarat Parivartan Party.
Interestingly according to a poll survey, across the all segments of voters in Gujarat, the supreme cause of concern for the Gujarati voter has quite stunningly turned out to be the issue of inflation and price rise. The Congress will have reason to be quite worried about it. Inflation as an issue, beats its nearest competitor of water supply by a huge gap.