Taking a humble line that he is “blessed” to contest from the seat which was represented by towering BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani, BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday filed his nomination for the Lok Sabha polls from country’s one of the best known saffron bastions.
A galaxy of top echelons of the saffron party and NDA including the likes of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, union ministers Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley and chief minister Vijay Rupani were with him on the solemn occasion.
The party made optimum use of Mr Shah’s filing of nomination papers at Gandhinagar – which was preceded by a grand roadshow and brief felicitation of the BJP president to show the unity of purpose among NDA constituents. Senior leaders Parkash Singh Badal of Akali Dal, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan attended the grand show and gave brief speeches hailing the organisational ability of Mr Shah.
The presence of top NDA leaders at Mr Shah’s nomination is seen as an endorsement of BJP’s decision to nominate him for the constituency – which was represented for record six times since 1998 by veteran L K Advani.
It is also a clear acknowledgement that another Gujarat’s son of the soil has emerged as perhaps the second most powerful leader in the BJP-led combine after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During the roadshow, Mr Shah told television journalists “while we are determined about making ‘Vikas (Development)’ the main election issue, ‘hum chahe ya nahi (whether we want it or not)’ national security is a major election issue this year”.
Earlier, Shiv Sena Chief Mr Thackeray said while there have been differences between his party and the BJP during the past five years, it is the vast experience of 25 years that had cemented unity between the two parties and will now work in the future.
“Hamare dil miley haen (We are one in mind and heart),” Mr Thackeray said and even mocked at the failure of the opposition camp to show such an unity of purpose.
Akali Dal patriarch heaped praise on BJP chief for his extra-ordinary organisational abilities saying that he was not a mere individual but was an ‘institution’ of sorts.
As a state legislator, Mr Shah had earlier represented Sarkhej constituency and also Naranpura constituency — both falling under Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency.
“I am also a man of masses, I have sought votes earlier too in my own name…,” Mr Shah remarked in a lighter vein.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh referred to the post-Pulwama politics of the Congress party and said why Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be deprived of the credit for the Balakot strike.
“Hamari Pradhan mantri ka jaykara kyon nahi hona chahiye (Why should not we glorify our Prime Minister’s good works),” Mr Singh said adding – “If Indira Gandhi can get the credit of dividing Pakistan in 1971, why should not our Prime Minister Modiji get the credit for what he has done in Balakot”.
“When our 40-42 CRPF soldiers lost their lives in a fidayeen attack, Modiji gave a free hand to our forces,” he said.
Gandhinagar seat was last won by Congress way back in 1984 – post Indira Gandhi assassination. In 1989 polls, the seat was wrested by Shankersinh Vaghela, who was then an emerging BJP star in the western state.
Mr Advani won the seat for the first time in 1991 by defeating G I Patel of Congress by a margin of over one lakh votes. In 1996, the seat was won by Atal Bihari Vajpayee but he resigned the seat and decided to retain the Lucknow constituency.
Since 1998 – Gandhinagar’s political story has been synonymous with the journey of Mr Advani, who was annointed as Deputy Prime Minister in the Vajpayee cabinet in 2002. (UNI)
