BJP-Congress face-off in tribal-dominated LS seat
The BJP and the Congress are locked in a high-intensity political battle in the tribal dominated Nandurbar constituency in North Maharashtra.
The BJP has fielded sitting MP, Dr Heena Gavit, who is eyeing a hat-trick, against the Congress nominee Adv Goval Padvi, who is the son of the sitting Legislator KC Padvi and is contesting his maiden General Election. Nandurbar was a traditional bastion of the Congress till 2014 when Dr Gavit defeated the nine-term MP and former Union Minister Manikrao Gavit, riding on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi wave. In the 2019 elections, she was re-elected banking on her performance and the Modi government's works, defeating the Congress nominee KC Padvi.
For the BJP and Dr Gavit the election is quite crucial as the party seeks to further strengthen its grip in the constituency and increase its organisational presence all over the district. On the other hand, by fielding a new face, the Congress hopes to regain its past glory and reinstate its hold in the district. For Dr Gavit, the BJP is playing up 'Modi's guarantee', the Viksit Bharat 2047 agenda and a slew of developmental works carried out by the NDA Government in 10 years and also by the Mahayuti Government since June 2022.
The RSS' network, apart from the BJP's vibrant poll machinery, accompanied by cadres of the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawarled NCP, has been Dr Gavit's major source of strength. However, Shiv Sena leader and former Legislator Chandrakant Raghuvanshi, who is a known rival of Dr Gavit's father and BJP Minister Dr Vijaykumar Gavit, has been a cause for worry. Despite Dr Gavit's efforts to pacify Raghuvanshi, the latter is not working for her, though his support to the Congress' nominee has been a major booster dose for him.
Dr Gavit hopes to continue her victory march especially after the PM's rally slated for May 7 in Nandurbar for the May 13 polls here. The BJP claims that of all the initiatives, the implementation of the Rs 24,000 crore scheme for vulnerable tribal groups, launched on the birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda, will yield positive results as it has been a game changer to push development in tribal areas. On the other hand, the Congress hopes to revive the party organisation in the district.
The Congress, over the years, has established a unique connect with the tribals as late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, former party chief Sonia Gandhi always used to address poll rallies from Nandurbar. During the UPA Government, the Aadhaar, the Unique Identity Scheme, was launched from Nandurbar nationally. Further, the Congress also wants to cash in on the party MP, Rahul Gandhi's visit to Nandurbar District during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, where he announced five guarantees under the plank of Adivasi Nyay to protect "jal, jungle, zameen (water, forests, land)" to give Adivasis "their rightful dues."
The party nominee Adv Padvi hopes to outsmart his immediate rival banking on Adivasi Nyay which gives a big push for tribal welfare and social justice. On top of it, the Congress for a while has succeeded in putting up a show of unity as various factions have buried the hatchet and are working for Adv Padvi unitedly.
Despite loud claims of development by the BJP and Congress, Nandurbar continues to hog headlines for malnutrition deaths and absence of health and paramedical services. As per the Maharashtra Human Development Report, 2012, Nandurbar has the lowest rank with a Human Development Index of 0.604 against the state's 0.752.
The Per Capita Income (PCI) is Rs 1,05,813 against the state's PCI of Rs 2,15,233 while the male literacy rate is 72.2 per cent and female literacy is 56.5 per cent. The major source of income continues to be agriculture. Dr Gavit and Adv Padvi during campaigning struggle to address various other issues such as lack of adequate hospitals, health centres and a trauma centre, apart from the absence of new industries and high unemployment.