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Is presence of NCP the key to victory in Gujarat polls?

Ahmedabad: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) incumbent MLA from Umreth Govind Parmar has threatened to quit the party and defect to Congress, if Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state unit President Jayant Patel joins the BJP.

Incidentally, in the 2017 elections, Parmar had defeated Congress candidate Kapilaben Chavda and Patel had come in third after vote counting.

Parmar’s threat has come after a video clip went viral on social media, in which Union Minister of State for Communication Devusinh Chauhan and BJP Chief Whip Pankaj Desai were seen giving precedence to NCP’s Patel while dedicating an ambulance in Nadiad.

This development has come after a oneon-one meeting between Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Jagdish Thakor and NCP chief Patel last week.

The NCP and Congress alliance is very old, but on two or three occasions, Gujarat NCP has betrayed the lead opposition party.

The first time it happened was when late Ahmed Patel was contesting Rajya Sabha elections and two NCP MLAs voted for the BJP candidate. And in 2020, the lone NCP MLA also supported the BJP candidate.

So then, why is the BJP gunning for the NCP to remain in the fray ahead of 2022 polls and why does Congress want an alliance with the party?

It has had a very minor stake in the last three consecutive assembly elections. The NCP has never won more than three seats in the state assembly.

It’s presence in the elections can sabotage the prospects of Congress candidates and may help the BJP win more seats; which is why the BJP will always want that NCP continue to contest polls on at least one dozen to two dozen seats.

The NCP either nominates Congress dissidents or caste-based candidate recommended by the ruling party, which divides Congress vote bank and ensures that the BJP candidates have smooth sailing, said Dilip Patel, senior journalist.

According to Dr Amit Nayak, a medical professional, “The data confirms that the Congress party has been losing seats due to the presence of the NCP in taluka, nagarpalika, municipal corporations and even assembly elections,”

He added, “The party learnt its lesson in the 2017 and 2020 Rajya Sabha elections, and that is why it changed its alliance formula in the 2021 municipal corporation polls and got three Congress candidates to win in AMC polls.”

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