Unjha: Why Aam Admi Party(AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal, Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) leader Praful Patel and Indian National Congress(INC) leader Rahul Gandhi suddenly visited Umiya temple in small town Unjha in North Gujarat in recent months? Some background here:

Goddess Umiya or Uma is Kuldevi(main deity) of Kadva Patidars, a politically influential community in Gujarat thanks to its hold over several assembly seats.  As general elections of assembly in progressive and comparatively prosperous state Gujarat are scheduled next year, visits of political leaders to Unjha temple are largely viewed under political shadow.

There is no secret that AAP, NCP and Congress party in Gujarat are trying to woo Patidar community votes.

Patidars are conventionally believed BJP supporters – though never entirely, but violent quota agitation led by anti-BJP Kadva Patidar youth Hardik Patel caused partial damage to this support to BJP in certain rural areas of Gujarat in panchayat elections last year.

It is largely believed that leaders like Praful Patel, Arvind Kejriwal and now Rahul Gandhi pay visits to Umiya temple which is center point of faith for Kadva Patidar community, expecting to get benefit of the situation in order to gain Patidar support. While there’s nothing wrong, but the point is, they don’t look natural visitors, and therefore such visits fail to create desired impact.

DeshGujarat