Gujarat Lobby Faces Scrutiny Over Election Performance in Varanasi

SURAT, GUJARAT : The Gujarat lobby, led by Gujarat BJP President C.R. Paatil and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, are all set to face an internal scrutiny by the BJP high command following their below-average performance in managing the Varanasi Lok Sabha election campaigning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who contested from Varanasi, won with a victory margin of 1.50 lakh votes, which party officials considered unimpressive given the expectations of more than 10 lakh votes.

In the previous Lok Sabha elections, PM Modi won by an impressive 4.79 lakh votes. Following the Ram Temple dedication, the BJP leadership was hoping for a phenomenal performance and had set a winning margin of more than ten lakh votes for PM Modi.

C.R. Paatil, known for his excellent election administration skills, was tasked with coordinating the whole campaign in Varanasi, from strategy to implementation on voting day. Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi and Gujarat State Minister Jagdish Vishwakarma were stationed in Varanasi to ensure the campaign ran smoothly and effectively.

However, according to insiders, both Sanghavi and Vishwakarma failed to carry out their jobs properly. According to reports, instead of working on campaign strategies and worker coordination, the two were spotted attending the Ganga Aarti and spending time at a Varanasi resort. This lackadaisical approach apparently resulted in a lack of direction and enthusiasm among local BJP workers and leaders, who were given little to no guidance on how to win a large victory margin for the Prime Minister.

According to insiders, PM Modi’s initial objective was to win by an astounding margin of 10 lakh votes, a goal that became increasingly unrealistic as the campaign advanced without sufficient scrutiny. The BJP leaders from Gujarat who went to Varanasi were nonchalant and contributed very less to the campaigning efforts and rather lived a lavish lifestyle and wielded undue power over local workers and leaders in Varanasi.

As election day approached, PM Modi became more aware of the gravity of the situation when he was told by the senior leader in Varanasi about the ground situation. However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah was given the responsibility to salvage the campaign.

The consequences from this incident has been considerable within the BJP. According to sources, Paatil was busy with achieving his own victory in the Navsari Lok Sabha constituency, where he won by a significant margin of 7.67 lakh votes, and did not devote enough attention to the Varanasi campaign. This perceived neglect was not overlooked by the party’s top leadership, prompting a thorough examination of the Gujarat lobby’s performance and overall commitment.

The story emphasizes the difficulties the BJP faces in sustaining unified and effective campaign plans across multiple regions.