Rajkot, December 12
With 52 of the 182 Legislative Assembly seats up for grabs in Saurashtra, it is this region which also has a major tribal belt in it and holds the key to the corridors of power for both the BJP and the Congress.

Not only have both parties concentrated heavily in this region but have also used the caste card strongly to ensure that they win the maximum number of seats.

Traditionally a Congress stronghold, the BJP has had its grip over the region in the past two elections and it is not surprising that it has again put up a majority of Patels, a community which holds a majority here, to open the gateway to the hot seat in Gandhinagar.

The Congress has also not lagged behind in using the caste card and has also concentrated on the Patels. Using the caste card along with the strong anti-incumbency factor which is sweeping through this remote region of Gujarat, the Congress hopes to reap in the maximum spoils here.

While the rest of Gujarat has shown signs of polarisation in the aftermath of the Godhra incident, Saurashtra has remained unaffected by the communal configuration. This is precisely the reason that it has the potential to tilt the balance of power in the political sweepstake.

Politically active and enjoying an unshakable hold over the business of oil and real estate, the Patels have emerged over the years as the single-most powerful community whose political preferences can make or mar the fortunes of parties.

The Patel community has in the past been supporting the BJP and it is no surprise that the party has put up as many as 35 Patels all over the state. Of them as many as 20 have been put up by the party in Saurashtra itself.

Not to be outdone, the Congress has also put up 19 Patels in Saurashtra, resulting in a direct fight between the Patel community itself at most of the places. In Rajkot district alone, there are seven BJP Patel candidates for the 11 seats while the Congress has fielded six.