Voices of Gujarat: Will BJP’s ‘Vikas’ Buzzword Gather Votes?

As Gujarat goes to polls, The Quint asks the aam Gujarati whether the issue of vikas will decide their vote.

Vikas has been BJP’s buzzword for the longest time, but how much of an impact will it have on the upcoming Gujarat elections?

(Photo: The Quint)

Vikas has been BJP’s buzzword for the longest time, but how much of an impact will it have on the upcoming Gujarat elections? The Quint travelled to the interiors of the state to find out from voters.

“I'm not going to vote for vikas this election. We’ve been through a lot in the name of vikas. Note ban made everything expensive for us. As a homemaker, I need to think about everything, including what my child wears. This time, when we went to shop for Diwali, everything was so expensive. On top of that, GST is being charged on everything,” says 40-year-old Nidhi Patel.

Echoing her views, retired forest officer SN Ragja says, “Vikas of Gujarat's common man has stopped right now. All businesses and jobs are held by the rich and powerful. Just ensuring basic facilities is not vikas. I can only see the vikas of the rich and powerful around me.”

Has vikas lost its shine for the young Gujarati?

“Right now, I don't see any vikas happening around us. There's no electricity, there's a water problem. There's a cleanliness issue here. They (BJP) promised Acche Din, but we can't see that anywhere,” says 32-year-old pan-seller Umashankar Yadav.

But for many others, BJP’s Gujarat model continues to impress.

“Everybody is happy with BJP government. Police department is good, administration is good. There's been sabka saath, sabka vikas. There's no dictatorship. It's a disciplined government,” says 62-year-old marketing executive Kamlesh Shah.

“I will definitely go for development and and not look at what people have gone through during demonetisation and GST. In GST, people have not suffered. It is only a section of people, a section of industry who have been playing around with the economy. The central government is trying to bring them in the system. Ultimately, if they come into the system, it will help the economy to grow faster and better,” says 72-year-old Jivan Hemrajani.

Video Producer: Hansa Malhotra
Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

(Voices of Gujarat: Tired of listening to netas make promises? As Gujarat goes to polls, The Quint wants to listen to the real voices of Gujarat – the voters. Tell us what issues matter to you this election season. Send in your videos to [e-mail] or WhatsApp @ [phone])