Rajkot West has a VIP contest again: Vijay Rupani Vs Indranil Rajguru

RAJKOT WEST: An interesting battle is building up in Saurashtra’s financial hub, Rajkot, involving two men who are quite different from each other. VIPs are not new to Rajkot West, where chief minister Vijay Rupani is contesting. The seat has been represented by senior BJP leader Vajubhai Vala seven times and former CM Keshubhai Patel in 1977. Even Narendra Modi won a bypoll here after he became CM in 2001.

Rajkot made three of its candidates CMs. Youngsters here feel the city needs the same amenities that Ahmedabad or Vadodara have.

Rupani is “simple, soft-spoken and noncontroversial” to supporters but he faces an aggressive Indranil Rajguru of Congress who won Rajkot East last time. Locals call him ‘Dhankuber’. He has declared assets worth Rs 141 crore and is among the richest contestants. His catchphrase is “better a full-time MLA than a part-time CM”.

Congress leader Indranil Rajguru left a safe seat to fight Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani. Among the wealthiest candidates in fray, he says his money equips him to work for the poor.

“Wealth is not viewed negatively in Gujarat and because of my wealth, I am equipped to be in politics and serve people.” Rajguru prepared for this battle several months ago, when Rupani took charge of the state. “The wrong person cannot get the top-most position. I am not in politics for winning alone. If the battle is not significant, victory doesn’t matter,” says Rajguru. “Rajkot will prepare people of Gujarat to shift to Congress. The government took note of problems of traders with GST only after traders of Rajkot took the issue to Delhi. Once Congress comes here, we will get a GST that is simple,” he added.

BJP’s hoardings are all over the city praising the PM for his surgical strike, his fight against black money, the state government’s policy to provide free medicines to the poor, among others. Rajguru has put up his party’s hoardings promising people that he will work towards bringing AIIMS to the city and a high court bench, besides taking steps to regularise school fees. To counter the PM’s letter urging people not to vote based on caste lines, Rajguru distributes a letter captioned ‘Rajkot residents come first to me’ and alleges people “have been exploited by BJP leaders”.

Congress has been focussing on the issue of privatisation of education in the State.

Helping out the spouses are Rupani’s wife on a padyatra protesting against Rahul Gandhi’s comment that RSS doesn’t have women in shakhas, while Rajguru’s wife does door-to-door campaign to show “BJP’s policies were making it tough for women to run households”.

Mehul Shah, a salesman in Rajkot: "Airport, dams, the smart city project - for all these to become a reality it is better to bring back BJP."

“Rajguru has people connect. He is a wealthy man, has money and resources. He could finish strong. He has at least ensured that Rupani cannot ignore his constituency for campaign,” said Lokesh Vyas, a trader in Dhebar road. However, the voters’ mood seems to be aligned towards the person who could provide the best for the city that they feel “needs much more development”.

BJP's posters across Saurashtra laud the surgical strikes.

“A new airport is coming up here. The water problem that was acute was sorted only a few years ago. The fear against voting for Congress is that these projects may be halted,” said Mehul Shah, a 44-year-old salesman.

BJP kiosks urging people to "vote for a CM again."