Gujarat: Battle of political survival for sons of two ex-chief ministers

Any election is crucial for all candidates, but the upcoming Lok Sabha battle is especially critical for two Congress leaders, for whom the 2019 polls could very well be a matter of political survival.

The political careers of Tushar Chaudhary, the Congress candidate from Bardoli ST seat, and Bharatsinh Solanki, 65, the candidate from Anand seat, hang in the balance, and the outcome of the April 23 elections could very well decide their political future. This is true more in the case of Chaudhary who has seen his political stock dwindling in the past few years.

Chaudhary, 53, will take on current MP and BJP candidate Prabhu Vasava, from the tribal reserved seat in Surat district. Solanki, on the other hand, will face-off against BJP candidate Mitesh Patel from Anand seat in central Gujarat. Initial reports suggest a tough battle awaits Chaudhary, while Solanki has an edge over his BJP rival.

"Tusharbhai was winning when Congress was doing well. One can say that the victories were more because of the party's popularity and work than his own. On the other hand, other leaders like Jitu Chaudhari have been winning in election after election in spite of the inroads BJP has made in the tribal community," said a Congress leader, requesting anonymity.

A party leader from Surat said that Chaudhary using his influence to get tickets for family members, instead of promoting his supporters, had alienated him from the party's workers.

"Tusharbhai realises the importance of the coming election, and is reaching out to leaders and workers who are unhappy with him. He can win only if he manages to get their support, and to prevent political oblivion for himself," he said.

Chaudhary told DNA that he was getting good response during campaigning, and was confident of a victory, but declined to comment when asked what impact an adverse result could have on his political career.

As far as Solanki is concerned, he still has a strong say in the party's affairs in Gujarat – his cousin Amit Chavda replaced him as the state Congress president when he stepped down last year - but a loss in the elections would be seen as a body blow to him.

"Anand is one seat which the Congress expects to win, and it is critical for Bharatsinh to deliver. A loss will certainly erode his stock," said a senior leader, pointing out that party president Rahul Gandhi had made it clear that only those who can win and make the Congress win will have a say in how the party is run.

Speaking with DNA, Bharatsinh said that the coming elections were crucial as they would decide the future direction of the country.

"For me personally too, this is an important election, but it is a do battle, not a die battle. I am confident of getting blessings of people of Anand," he said.

Solanki stressed that the result in 2019 would be drastically different than in 2014, and that the Congress would win 16 out of 26 seats in the state.

STRIKING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN CAREERS OF THE TWO LEADERS

Both are sons of former chief ministers. Chaudhary’s father Amarsinh Chaudhary was the state’s first and only CM from the tribal community till date, while Solanki’s father Madhavsinh Solanki was chief minister for four terms.

Both Chaudhary and Solanki have been MLAs. Solanki was elected to the assembly thrice from 1995 to 2002, and Chaudhary in 2002. Both were elected to Lok Sabha in 2004, and again in 2009. Both served as ministers in the UPA II government. Both had lost in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Solanki was the state Congress president during the 2017 polls, which saw the party tally rise to 77, its best performance in nearly three decades. Chaudhary had contested in the polls, much against the senior leadership’s advice, which wanted him to focus on campaigning, but lost, and suffered a huge blow to his standing in the party.

Solanki was president of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee twice, while Chaudhary was one of the four working presidents ahead of the 2017 assembly elections.