300 Muslims in a Gujarat village join BJP, shocking Congress

Surat: Over 300 Muslims living in the Muslim majority village of Bambusar, 19 km away from Bharuch town in Gujarat, joined BJP on Wednesday leaving the Congress in the area a lot skinnier.

This unexpected jolt come to the Congress as the attempts to revive the party with long marches and internal polls are underway.

BJP MLA Arunsinh Rana welcomed the new members, including Bambusar village sarpanch Gulam Patel, with a saffron scarf, The Indian Express reported.

BJP general secretary Digvijaysinh Chudasma, BJP minority wing leaders Salim Khan Pathan and Mustufa Khoda attended the event held at Bambusar village.

Arunsinh Rana was quoted as saying that he was enthralled to see Muslims approaching to join the BJP from Bharuch who wanted development in the strong bastion of Congress.

"BJP's motto is Sauno Saath, Sauno Vikas ane Sauno Vishwas. We are ready to do development work if anybody approaches us," Rana reportedly said.

It is said that for the first time BJP flags were hung at the gate of the village. The new members to BJP come from Bambusar, Valediya, Valej, Segwa, Kahan, Chiphon, Luvara, Janod Samrod, Kothi villages.

None of the five assembly seats for Bharuch district namely Vagra, Bharuch, Ankleshwar, Jhagadia, and Jambusar has any Muslim representative, according to the report.

Congress candidate Sanjaybhai Solanki won Jambusar in the 2017 assembly election, while BTP (Bhartiya Tribal Party) candidate Chhotu Vasava was elected from Jhagadia, and BJP's Ishwar Patel, Dushyant Patel and Arunsinh Rana won Ankleshwar, Bharuch and Vagra seats respectively.

Acknowledging that Congress workers joined the BJP, the Congress president for Bharuch Parimalsinh Rana said the party is trying to figure out the reason behind it. Ran added that the district Congress committee will listen to the Congress workers and come up solutions.

Gulambhai Natha, who has been the sarpanch of Segwa village near Bambusar for the past 15 years, said the leaders decided to join the BJP over its efforts during the Covid pandemic.

Natha said that BJP's Salim Khan Pathan and BJP MLA Arunsinh Rana set up a medical home in the village alongside arranging for oxygen facility while the Congress leaders visited the village only for votes.

Gulambhai Natha went on to add that Rana led building up many connecting roads to the village and arranged Ayushman cards of all the villagers.