BJP leadership

The BJP leadership is still indecisive whether to give ticket to a Saurashtrian or a non-Saurashtrian applicant for Surat Lok Sabha voters.

The cause being without a job diamond workers, who may express their anger at the state and Central governments through their votes.

In the recent delimitation work out, Surat Lok Sabha has got more areas dominated by Patels such as Varachha, Katargam and Olpad. Out of total 14.10 lakh voters, Patels, including those working in the diamond industry, and Koli Patels in coastal villages in Olpad taluka are around six lake.

But the global economic meltdown and its severe effect on Surat's diamond industry has BJP leaders concerned. They are not intelligent to decide whether to nominate a Saurashtrian or a non-Saurashtrian for the seat.

Official information show that of the total 2,500 diamond units in the world's biggest diamond cutting and polishing centre in Surat, over 1,200 have been closed due to global slump, leaving around 2 lake workers jobless. About 1 lake workers have shifted to their hometowns in Saurashtra to either look for an alternative employment or work in their family farms.

Workers' bodies like Surat-based Gujarat Vikas Samiti (GVS) have asked diamond workers to think two times before casting their votes in favour of BJP or Congress candidate as both the parties have failed to help them. GVS plans to field a jobless diamond worker from Surat Lok Sabha population as an Independent.

Many consider there is a leadership vacuum as far as voters in the diamond industry are disturbed. Dhiru Gajera and Jivraj Dharukawala, who joined Congress in the last Assembly election, were previous considered as diamond workers' voice.

For Surat Lok Sabha seat, the non-Saurashtrian BJP leaders want the party to consider nominating someone from local candidates namely -- sitting MLA from Surat West Kishore Vankawala, city BJP president Praveen Naik and vice-president of Gujarat Mahlia BJP Parishad Darshana Jardosh.

Among Saurashtrians, names of previous leader of ruling party in Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) Jagdish Patel and previous BJP mayor Kanu Mavani, too, have been future for the seat.

Satyakam Joshi of Centre for Social Studies (CSS) said, "The party should give ticket to a candidate who is satisfactory to voters irrespective of the fact that he or she is a Saurashtrian or a non-Saurashtrian."