Gujarat seems to present a slight shadow of Mahabharata In its election battle this time. Assembly elections are interesting contests between near relatives. In several important constituencies, there is an example of the ‘political Mahabharata’ happening between the relatives. In this fight for power, from father-son to uncle-nephew and brother-brother, everyone has come in front of each other.
It somehow lets us the sense that the epic war of Mahabharata had not been fought through the democratic way of ballots. But they were indeed relatives as we happen to realise the same phenomenon in the present advanced scientific era.
It looks as if we share a similar intellectual ending. Pull up on it straight away even without any utterance swapped. And it still could not get rid of the thought of politics that continues on the vast territory where our politicians are vying against one another. Sometimes it gets us to think politics is also like an open book with endless pages. The electoral fight comes years after but it also leaves nothing like the most probably 18 days long war of Mahabharata.
On Jhagadia’s seat strong tribal leader Chhotubhai Vasava contest against his son Mahesh Vasava. There are plenty more instances where that came from because, at this point, there does not persist at least one place Kurukshetra but the various areas of Gujarat.
Though they were former ministers, they are bonded with brotherly affection. Ishwarsinh Thakorbhai Patel (58)and Vijaysinh Thakorbhai Patel (61) are fighting for the Ankleshwar-Hansot assembly seat on behalf of the BJP and Congress.
At the same time, an uncle and nephew are in the fray in Morbi. In Saurashtra’s Morbi, the BJP has fielded former five-time MLA Kantibhai Amritiya, against his nephew Pankaj Ransaria, whom the Aam Aadmi Party has brought into the straight electoral fight.