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Cong-RJP divide clears way for BJP

Syed Firdaus Ashraf

The Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to gain in Gujarat after the break-up of the alliance between the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Party for the forthcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections. The two parties differed over allocation of seats in the LS election, with the Congress unwilling to accept the RJP's claim for 10 seats.

After former chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela split the BJP to form the RJP, the BJP suffered a severe setback in the saffron stronghold. In fact, BJP president L K Advani openly stated that he was personally responsible for the Gujarat crisis.

Says Hasmukh Patel, vice-president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, "The RJP should not have been adamant on seat-sharing. We were willing to give them nine out of the 26 Lok Sabha seats but they were insisting on 10 seats."

Out of the 26 seats in Gujarat, the BJP had won 16 and the Congress 10 seats in the 1996 general election.

Since the RJP was formed after that election, the predominant feeling among state Congress leaders was that they should not give more than eight seats to the new party. On the other hand, RJP leaders felt that since they had shaken the BJP's foundation in the state, they were entitled to at least 10 seats.

Says RJP president Madhusudan Mistry, "The Congress always treated us badly. For no reason they told Vaghelaji to step down. After he stepped down they started troubling Dilip Parikh. So we had no other option but to call an assembly election. Moreover, if our allies can't sacrifice one seat for our sake, how we can trust each other in the long run?"

The trouble between the Congress and the RJP started when the former decided not to support the RJP if Vaghela continued as chief minister, forcing Parikh to succeed him.

Says Patel, "We will be at a little disadvantage if there is no alliance with the RJP. But many senior Congress leaders felt the RJP base was growing on Congress support. So we decided to go it alone."

Out of the 182 assembly seats in the last election, the RJP had 45 seats, the Congress had another 45. The BJP had 76 seats, 14 short of a majority.

Congressmen also felt that the RJP wanted to contest assembly seats in Congress bastions. And senior Congress leaders feel that no way could the party part with those seats. "The RJP wants to contest the assembly election in dalit and tribal areas, our stronghold. We are a national party and with the entry of Soniaji in politics these votes are surely in our pockets. So why should we compromise?" asks Patel.

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