Narendra Rawat,Vadodara Congress president, who strives to halt Modi wagon

VADODARA: Vadodara Congress president Narendra Ravat was quick to order his publicity material for general elections on March 13 as soon as he won the primary election held by his party. A month later, on a hot and humid Sunday, he is in the thick of campaigning and busy preparing for a road show. But by then, his party has named general secretary Madhusudan Mistry as its candidate to take on the BJP's prime ministerial aspirant Narendra Modi.

Former student leader Ravat, who is credited with having rebuilt the Congress in Vadodara district, appears unmoved even as he has failed yet again in his efforts to get the party ticket. He takes solace from party vice-president Rahul Gandhi's appreciation of him in an interview on television the previous evening. Ravat says that only name and picture in his campaign material has been changed and he is campaigning with the same spirit.

Considered the most aggressive Congress leader in central Gujarat, Ravat is a veteran of agitations and he can well claim the record for burning the highest number of effigies by any Indian politician. He has close to 400 police complaints against him for aggressive agitations led by him and challenges anyone to check records of local newspapers. However, a Congress member who does not wish to be named says, "Vadodara constituency is jinxed. No one has been able to move ahead in national politic ..

Fatehsinhrao and Ranjitsinh of Gaekwad clan were members of Parliament from Vadodara for total six terms but they could not make their mark like other royal families in national politics. Other successful candidates Jayaben Thakkar and Satyajitsinh Gaekwad are barely remembered even in the city. The last BJP parliamentarian Balu Shukla was lobbying hard to contest for his second term but Modi's decision to field from a safe constituency derailed his plans.