Gujarat elections 2022: Bilkis, Morbi could play key role

The Morbi bridge collapse on October 30 claimed 135 lives. File Pic/PTI

Assembly elections in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 with the counting of votes on December 8 along with that of Himachal Pradesh, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Thursday.

Voting for 89 of the 182 assembly seats will be held on December 1 and for the remaining 93 seats on December 5, he said. The ED announced HP polls dates on October 14.

These 10 factors could play a role in elections to the assembly.

1 BJP has a trump card in the form of PM Narendra Modi, who was Gujarat's chief minister from 2001 to 2014. But his sway over followers in his home state is still intact, and several political observers are of the view that he will be a big deciding factor in the polls.

2 The impact of the remission of sentences of those convicted in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case will play out differently for the majority and minority communities. Muslims are demanding justice for Bilkis Bano while a section of Hindus would like to ignore the issue.

3 Anti-incumbency: The 24-year rule of the BJP, from 1998 onwards, has led to growing dissatisfaction in sections of society, said political observers. People believe that inflation, unemployment and basic issues have remained unresolved even after decades of BJP rule, said political observer Hari Desai.

4 The Morbi bridge collapse has brought to the fore the nexus between administration and rich businessmen. The issue is likely to dominate the minds of the voters.

5 Frequent paper leaks and postponement of government recruitment exams have dashed the hopes of youths working hard to get jobs, leading to much resentment.

6 If school classrooms are constructed in remote rural areas, there is a dearth of teachers. And if teachers are recruited, there is a lack of classrooms affecting education.

7 Farmers are agitating in parts of the state, as they have not been given compensation for crop loss due to excess rains in the last two years.

8 Gujarat was earlier known for its good roads. However, in the past five to six years, the state government and municipal corporations have not been able to construct good roads or maintain old roads. Complaints of potholes are also common.

9 Gujarat has one of the highest electricity tariffs in the country. People are looking forward to offers from the AAP and the Congress of giving 300 units free per month.

10 Dissatisfaction among farmers and landowners whose lands are being acquired for various government projects. Farmers, for instance, opposed land acquisition for high-speed bullet train project between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. They also opposed land acquisition for the expressway project between Vadodara and Mumbai.

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