The recent bridge collapse in which 135 people were killed has put a spotlight on the Morbi constituency. The tragic development, however, is unlikely to impact the fortunes of the BJP in the upcoming eletcions.
Political analysts in Gujarat say the BJP has changed the game in this small constituency dominated by Patidars by naming Kanti Amrutiya as the party’s candidate.
The five-time MLA had lost to Congress' Brijesh Merja in 2017. Merja then switched sides and won on the BJP ticket in the 2020 bypoll with a small margin.
Soon after the bridge collapse, Amrutiya jumped into the Machchu river to save the lives of people, a video of which has gone viral on the internet.
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“Morbi bridge collapse was a great tragedy. So many people died. But I think it is such a local phenomenon that it is unlikely to have an impact on the rest of the state. I am sure there is temporary anger and the anger is very much justified. But my take is it will not have any impact on elections and whatever it could have, the BJP evaded it by fielding Kanti Amrutiya from the constituency as a candidate,” says political analyst deputy editor with Ahmedabad Mirror, Dr. Pradeep Malik.
The constituency was earlier represented by Brijesh Merja, who is a minister. The BJP is also cashing on a small visual that shows Amrutiya jumping into the river to save those people. “With this move, the BJP is trying to make up for the anger people have over the tragedy,” Dr Malik said.
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Famous for its ceramic and clock industries that provide employment to more than five lakh people, Morbi has nearly 2.90 lakh voters, including 80,000 Patidars, 35,000 Muslims, 30,000 Dalits, 30,000 Sathwara community members (from the Other Backward Class category), 12,000 Ahirs (OBC), and 20,000 Thakor-Koli community members (OBC).
Dr Malik said all parties have fielded candidates who are Patidars with different surnames. “The victory margin in the constituency, however, will be very small. A small margin and a small swing can take the seat away from BJP,” Malik said. He said the BJP should be happy to see AAP contesting as AAP might be unable to intrude into the BJP vote bank but could dent the Congress vote.
“When Amrutiya jumped into the river to save people, he was seen swimming at a place where others were walking. That is why I call it a spectacle. But it doesn’t belittle his effort. People see him as someone who jumped into the river to save lives and he also lost some of his family members in the tragedy. People keenly look at it and understand it,” Malik added. “All these things neutralized peoples’ anger and it is likely that the seat might go back to the BJP,” he added.
