In the home city of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the infrastructure projects carried out by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, the BJP’s Nagpur candidate, are a bigger talking point in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election than the ubiquitous “Modi ki guarantee’ slogan.
The city is adorned with giant posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi – noticeably absent are images of BJP’s national president J.P. Nadda, Mr. Gadkari himself, and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis – but the residents note a distinctive approach to campaigning. While the majority of the BJP’s candidates across the country are leveraging Mr. Modi’s name and the Union government’s welfare initiatives like Ujjawala, Awas Yojana, Swachh Bharat and national security policies to attract votes, Mr. Gadkari has distinguished himself by running a campaign that highlights his own personal achievements, barely leaning on the PM’s popularity.
“I tried to serve Nagpur honestly while serving as a Minister in Maharashtra and now as a Union Minister for the last 10 years. So, I believe that the people are with me in full force,” Mr. Gadkari said, while addressing a public meeting at the Lakdipool and Bangladesh areas of the city.
Face of development
At Sitabuldi, Purshottam Joshi is busy with weekend shopping. He says that Nagpur owes Mr. Gadkari and he should be re-elected for the sake of development. “He constructed flyovers, metro rail, roads, and whatnot. People are definitely going to vote for him. Yes, even the Congress candidate is strong, but he can’t beat Mr. Gadkari’s popularity,” he said.
In 2014, buoyed by the ‘Modi Wave’ and a desire for change, Nagpur voters shifted their allegiance from the Congress’ Vilas Muttemwar after two decades, and elected Mr. Gadkari, the RSS’s swayamsevak, by a margin of around 2.85 lakh votes. Despite hosting the RSS headquarters, the city had remained a bastion of the Congress since independence. BJP candidates have only been elected thrice — Banwarilal Purohit in 1996 and Mr. Gadkari in 2014 and 2019.
Attracting Dalits, Muslims, OBCs
This time around, the Congress has nominated its sitting MLA and former mayor Vikas Thakre, setting up a potential challenge for the BJP, which intensified its campaign in the areas dominated by Dalits and minorities. Mr. Thakre’s popularity and appeal in the Kunbi community, which forms a substantial portion of the electorate, is evident from the rallies being organised in his favour.
Dissatisfaction among the other backward classes (OBCs) over the Maratha reservation issue, and a consolidated move by Dalit organisations and Muslim voters towards the Congress pose further challenges to the BJP. Parties like the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, the Bahujan Samaj Party, and the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) have decided not to field their candidates in this constituency as a ‘show of support’ for the Congress. According to Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar, this decision will prevent the splitting of votes, a factor that has historically worked against the Congress.
‘Need for change’
At the popular Dolly Chaiwala roadside stall, which earned recent internet fame by serving flamboyantly made tea to Microsoft founder Bill Gates, there is a lively discussion on the upcoming election. Suresh Godboleh pauses to sip his sweet tea from a tall glass and expresses the need for a change. “Change is necessary this time. While Mr. Gadkari is commendable, change is crucial for the nation as a whole to prevent the BJP’s tanashahi (dictatorship),” he says.
His sentiment finds resonance with Paul Swami, who complains about unemployment and the city’s reputation as an ‘old age home’, following the exodus of youngsters to cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune in search of job opportunities, leaving their parents behind. “In contrast to 2019, Mr. Gadkari won’t have it easy. While we support him as an individual, ultimately he represents a party which is only talking about Mandir and other religious activities, neglecting core issues like unemployment, inflation, and job losses,” he says, as the group nods in agreement.
Power, water, and jobs
Ask another group about the election’s outcome – whether it’s tilted in favour of the BJP or Congress, given the bipolar nature of the contest – and a multitude of voices erupts with diverse opinions. Amidst the cacophony of voices, Yogesh Mahajan expresses indifference towards the BJP but some voices support for Mr. Gadkari based on his track record.
Others interject, “Gadkari nahi, Thakre. Ghar mein light kitne baar jate hai aur paani kitne samaye aata hai? (Not Mr. Gadkari, but Mr. Thakre. How many times do you face electricity cuts in the house, and for how many minutes is water supplied?)
Despite these challenges, Mr. Gadkari’s reputation and a focus on tangible development achievements anchor his campaign efforts, which also include strategic community outreach and the mobilisation of local BJP leaders to shore up support. However, lingering issues such as unemployment and trader discontent loom large.
‘No Modi wave’
“Clearly, there is no Modi wave this time and no sentimental issues like Ram Mandir. There’s a quiet mobilisation of anti-BJP sentiments on the ground, bolstering the Congress’s campaign. The Congress [is following the] strategy of fielding a local face, unlike the 2019 polls when Nana Patole was fielded,” says Devendra Gawande, the resident editor of Marathi daily Loksatta in Nagpur.
He says it will be a tough fight for Mr. Gadkari, as Mr. Thakre is equally popular among voters who trace his political journey back to his days as a corporator and mayor in the city. “It’s going to be an interesting poll battle in Nagpur after a decade. Both candidates are asking for votes in the name of development,” Mr. Gawande added.
