Congress may have upper hand in Sabarkantha

“Voters in Sabarkantha will continue with their faith in Congress in 2017 elections” seems to be the public mood. Low prices of agriculture produce, agitations by Patidars, OBCs and Dalits will further tilt the balance in the district which had voted for Congress candidates in five of the six constituencies in 2012 elections.

Rajendrasinh Jadeja, a 32-year-old youth who attended the Khedut Adhikar Sammelan at Himmatnagar, said farmers are not getting remunerative returns on their agriculture produce. He is also concerned about the atmosphere of fear created under BJP rule. “You can’t speak up. There is an atmosphere of fear. You have to be very careful while posting on Facebook. The government is acting like a boss. People don’t like this,” said Jadeja.

Another attendee Arvind Makwana, who is also a labour contractor for construction sector, said demonetisation has destroyed the sector here. “Labourers do not get paid in digital mode. There are data connectivity bottlenecks in rural area. How can one use digital transactions?” he asked.