Gandhinagar, 18 January 2012

Gandhinagar district’s Mansa assembly constituency is witnessing intense political activities even before the by-election is announced here.

Mansa seat is vacant due to sudden death of late sitting BJP MLA Shri Mangaldasbhai Patel. He died of heart attack in December. As per the rule, by-election has to come here within six months of Patel’s death. It is expected that EC will declare Mansa by-poll by end of this month.

On run up to the announcement of by-poll, Mansa is witnessing visits of Gujarat BJP ministers and Gujarat Congress’s district core committee members.

A day before yesterday water resources minister Narottam Patel was in Mansa. Yesterday Social Justice minister Vasanbhai Ahir was in Mansa. On 23rd of this month, district in-charge minister Jaysinh Chauhan is scheduled to visit Mansa following by Revenue minister Anandiben Patel on 24th and Urban development minister Nitin Patel on 26th. There are number of ground breaking and inauguration events between 16-26 January in Mansa organized by ruling BJP government in the state. On the other side, Congress party’s district core committee members are seen holding area wise meetings with smaller number of locals.

Local sources say, the state government will start development works worth Rs 75 crore before the announcement of by-poll here. Recently the state govt has allotted Rs 13 crore. Works worth Rupees five crore under the urban development scheme are to be dedicated or started. Moreover water bodies in 12 villages of Mansa taluka are to be excavated deeper in next few days. While this is the detail of development politics experiment of the state government ruled by BJP, the opposition Congress is ruling party in Gandhinagar district panchayat. And therefore a supplementary proposal has been added in the agenda of the 19th general board meeting of district panchayat proposing approval to 28 crore road development works in Mansa taluka. A proposal includes widening, strengthening and improvement works of roads connecting Ridrol and Lodra, Dhameda and Ridrol among others.

It should be mentioned here that Mansa was earlier in Mehsana district. Later it was merged to newly formed Gandhinagar district. Former Gujarat Chief Minister and Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela had recently started Sardar Sandesh Yatra from Mansa and had organized a rally here. Congress leaders in that rally had criticized Gujarat BJP for neglecting late BJP MLA late Shri Mangaldas Patel, by not renewing him as Speaker of Gujarat assembly.

After sad demise of Shri Mangaldasbhai, Gujarat BJP had organized village wise condolence meetings in presence of state level party leaders and ministers. BJP had done similar exercise when party’s Chotila MLA passed away couple of years back.

Both BJP and Congress give importance to Mansa by-poll, because this is going to be the most eye-catching election before the Gujarat assembly general election which is scheduled in December this year.

In one of the party meeting, Congress leader and Gujarat Congress’s campaign committee Chief Shankersinh Vahgela had claimed that if BJP wins Mansa by-poll, the state government will declare general election of assembly earlier than schedule. However according to sources in BJP, there’s no such move.

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