Gujarat elections 2022: Father-son fight in tribal leader Chhotu Vasava's Jhagadia constituency

Gujarat is all set to witness a father-son fight in the upcoming state assembly polls. Chhotu Vasava founder of the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) has filed his nomination as an independent candidate from the Jhagadia Assembly seat in the Bharuch district. He is pitting himself against his son Mahesh Vasava who is the national president of BTP and the party's official candidate in Jhagadia.

Before this, Chhotu Vasava represented this Scheduled Tribes (ST)-reserved seat in the Assembly for seven consecutive terms. Son Mahesh Vasava had won from the Dediapada constituency in the Narmada district in the 2017 Assembly polls.

The senior Vasava said he was fighting the polls as there is nobody else to take on the ruling BJP.


When asked about his son being a candidate from the same seat, he told PTI, "Members of a family can contest from four places (seats)...the BJP is not going to win, neither in the country nor in Gujarat. I am totally hopeful of victory."

Chhotu Vasava's personal secretary Abbalal Jadhav said, "Chhotu Vasava has said he will continue to fight for the rights of tribals until his last breath, whether it is through polls or on social media. Nobody can snatch Jhagadia seat from Chhotu Vasava. Vasava's supporters held a meeting at his residence where it was decided he will contest the election."

Mahesh Vasava said everybody has the right to file nomination forms.

"I have filed my nomination as the BTP candidate. As the national president of the BTP, I can say we will win many seats. There will be no clear majority in the upcoming election. People are aware. The fight is against unemployment, the COVID-19 pandemic and GST," he said.

Jadhav said such disputes are not unusual and that the tussle will be short-lived.

The father-son duo were the only two winners from the BTP in the 2017 elections. On November 9, the BTP had announced Mahesh Vasava's candidature from Jhagadia. Bahadursinh Vasava is the BTP candidate from the Dediapada seat.

In May, Chhotu Vasava had entered into an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party. He held a joint rally in Bharuch with AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. But later the BTP pulled out of its alliance with AAP.

With inputs from PTI