Ahmedabad: The Congress is upbeat over the low polling percentage in the first phase. In the second phase, Congress is trying to woo OBC voters with the help of caste cards. The Congress, while betting on the Thakor community of North Gujarat, wants to spread the word that if the Congress comes to power, it can make someone from the Thakor caste of the OBC community the Chief Minister. In this regard, there is also speculation that the issue will be discussed in the meeting between Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge and Ashok Gehlot on Friday.
In Gujarat, polling will be held on 93 seats in 14 districts in the second phase of polling on December 5. All these seats are from North and Central Gujarat. It is dominated by tribal voters including Thakor, Chaudhary, Koli Patel, and Pashupalak Samaj. According to sources, the first phase of voting was reviewed in the meeting between Congress National President Kharge and Observer Gehlot on Friday.
The Congress is buoyed by the low average turnout in the first phase and believes that the low turnout will hurt the BJP. With this ray of hope, Congress is now focusing completely on the second phase of polling. Along with this, efforts are being made to pacify the majority of OBC voters in this phase. According to sources, Congress is now ready to play the OBC card.
There is speculation among Congress workers that if the Congress government is formed in the state, the Chief Minister will be from the Thakor community and three Deputy Chief Ministers will be from SC, ST and minority communities. This bet of Congress is expected to have an impact on the second phase of voting. The Aam Aadmi Party has already made public the name of Sudan Gadhvi, who comes from the OBC community, as its chief ministerial face before the elections. The Congress has started a campaign to nullify the influence of the Aam Aadmi Party in the second phase.
Meanwhile, Congress observer in Gujarat Ashok Gehlot told reporters that all the promises made by Congress in its manifesto are issues that touch the public. Expressed hope for a good result in the elections. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has distorted the issue related to Ravana. We never repeat what Modi has said about Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. We don’t make it an emotional issue.
