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How this small city in Gujarat shunned Caste -Based Vote Bank politics

Bhavnagar City has a history where each election till date has been fought on the lines of caste. This is owing to the large majority of Koli Community in the city constituting 45% of the electorate.
Congress and BJP are the only two major front runners in any election here and strong independent candidates or third fronts are mostly absent. Owing to strong unity and caste identity among the Koli community it was virtually considered impossible for a non – Koli candidate to win irrespective of their party affiliation or Public image if pitted against a member of Koli community. Thus both parties would either pit a Koli candidate or refrain from it in unison each time. Whenever this pattern was broken the the non Koli candidate has always been punished.
During the 2012 Gujarat General assembly elections the Congress heavyweight and leader of opposition Shaktisinh Gohil lost in Bhavnagar Rural constituency against Koli candidate. It is due to this massive majority that most of city’s elected leaders belong to this community including
  • Mayor
  • MP
  • 1/3 MLA’s
Bhavnagar city has been victim of caste based politics even before the Patidar agitation and by now history indicated that any deviation from this pattern of fielding Koli vs Koli candidates almost results into a loss for the party that makes a deviation.

2017 General Assembly Election

This time caste and community based politics had taken toll of the entire Gujarat and Bhavnagar was never expected to be a deviation from this due its history of caste supremacy voting, But instead something remarkable happens this time.
BJP decides to once again field the incumbent Candidate Vibhavari ben Dave a female leader from Bhramin community and Congress tries to seize the power by fielding Candidate another female Candidate from the Koli community Nitaben Rathod. Most political Pundits had given their verdict that it would be impossible to defeat Nitaben as she would be comfortably sailing to the majority mark with de facto support from 45% of electorate. Even BJP members had their reservations when asked about the outcome.
But the dawn of 9th December brought in one of the best changes in the Electoral history of Bhavnagar and Gujarat in general. People for the first time shunned caste based politics and voted in favour of Vibhavari Ben making her the victor and representative of the people of Bhavnagar East. This lady broke a glass – ceiling which was intact even after the efforts of many heavy weight politicians in past.
Amid an Electoral atmosphere that had divided the state along caste and community lines the Constituency historically marred with this evil defied the convention made it the most remarkable contest of 2017 Gujarat General. Assembly election.
Vibhavari Ben has been promoted as Minister of State for Education, Women and Children welfare and Pilgrim this term.

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