Water needs to dominate voter minds in Gujarat’s Tharad’s constituency

“There is no water, give us water.” As the sun beats down on arid flatlands punctuated by salt marshes, it’s the one demand and paramount need verbalised by voters in this border area when candidates call on them in this election season.

In the ebb and flow of life, water is the exigency, cutting through lines in a society riven by caste, the deciding factor for weddings with parents preferring to fix their daughters’ weddings in villages close to the only Narmada canal in the area. And the undercurrent running through the campaign of all party candidates in Banaskantha’s Tharad constituency, about 40 km from the Pakistan border and just 15 km from Rajasthan.

The BJP has fielded Shankar Chaudhary, an OBC (other backward classes) and chairperson of Asia’s biggest dairy, Banas Dairy, from this constituency dominated by the Chaudhary caste. Among the 14 candidates in the fray for the December 5 election, is Congress’ sitting MLA Gulab Singh Peerabhai, also an OBC. The Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Virchandbhai Chelabhai Chavda.

“Pani nathi, pani aapo (there is no water, give us water)” was the chorus from a group of women, some with veils drawn over their faces, at Ajawada village where the BJP’s nominee Chaudhary went asking for votes. The women, who spend many hours each day collecting water for their homes, were from all castes.

Jamna Ben, who greeted him in traditional style by putting a red ‘tilak’ on his forehead, echoed them. “I am hopeful you will give me water,” she said.

Addressing the small gathering in the premises of the village temple, Chaudhary assured them he will resolve their problems and concludes his speech with ‘gau (cow) mata ki jai”.

The issue found echo as he moved to the next village, Vantadu, for a post death ritual.

Chaudhary, who replaced the red turban with a white one, appealed to them to vote for the BJP and assured them their water needs will be addressed.

Bharubhai Kag, a Chaudhary by caste, watched the goings on and placed the matter in perspective.

“There is only one Narmada canal in the district which has been providing water to only 38 villages in Tharad taluka having a total of 135 villages,” Kag told PTI.

The water level, he said, has gone down drastically and borewells need to be dug very deep to get water which is anyway saline and not good for crops.

“People from villages which are near the canal don’t marry their daughters to boys from villages that are far away from the canal are are dependent on the borewells for irrigation,” Kag added.

Standing next to him, Maheshji Bhai Thakor, from the Thakor caste as his name suggests, agreed.

“Water is such a big issue that people can vote for a person from another caste if it gets resolved.”

Both Kag and Thakor describe Congress MLA as a good man.

The going, they said, will be tough for him this time with the Congress appearing to punch above its weight.

“Gulab Singh is always there to help people but people want someone who will sit in Ahmedabad and resolve their differences,” Thakor said.

Addressing a rally in the constituency recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Chaudhary will become a big man if he wins the election.

Singh has been conducting a low-key, going door-to-door and meeting elders and youngsters from every caste.

He has been talking at length about the water scarcity issue in his speech, blaming the BJP that has been in power for nearly three decades for it.

In the 2017 Gujarat assembly election, BJP’s Parbatbhai Savabhai Patel won the election but later left the seat after getting elected as MP from Banaskantha district. Congress Gulab Singh won defeating the BJP candidate in the bypoll in 2019.

In 2017, Chaudhary contested from the Vav constituency of Banaskantha and lost to Congress’s Geniben Thakor.

The Gujarat elections are being held over two phases, on December 1 and 5. The votes will be counted on December 8.