With the Gujarat Assembly election dates announced just a few days ago, the political atmosphere in the state has turned rather exciting. Gujarat, a BJP stronghold is all set to face the battle of seats in just a few weeks. This year, new trends and developments have emerged in Gujarat’s political scenario. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has entered the fray, fielding their best candidates per Arvind Kejriwal’s headline-worthy Twitter announcement that was made today which reads: Gujarat AAP President Gopal Italia and State General Secretary Manoj Sorathiya will now contest from Surat district.
This year however, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been rather proactive in light of the upcoming assembly elections from promises made by the party workers as part of their campaigning to all those visits made by AAP National Coordinator Arvind Kejriwal in Gujarat. Here is a brief on how AAP has been playing the field ahead of D-day and whom should we be keeping an eye on:
After the announcement of the state assembly election dates, parties began announcing their candidate lists including where they were set to contest from. AAP announced the 12th list of their candidates yesterday in which seven names were revealed. AAP National Coordinator Arvind Kejriwal tweeted and announced that Gujarat AAP President Gopal Italia will be contesting from Surat’s Katargam Assembly and State Secretary Manoj Sorathiya to be contesting from Karanj Assembly. This much awaited announcement created a very explosive atmosphere in the political scenario of Gujarat.
But who is Gopal Italia? The name we have so often heard in developments, initiatives, scandals and controversies. Who is Gopal Italia and why must we know of him?
A politician and social activist who also served as a forerunner in the Patidar Reservation Agitation 33 year old Gopal Italia has been serving as the Convener/State President for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) since December 2020. Gopal Italia halos from Botad in Gujarat, a place that recently made headlines for its infamous Latthakand incident. He started as a constable in Ahmedabad’s Madhupura Police station in 2013 after which he served as a Revenue Clerk under Ahmedabad Collectorate at the office of Dhandhuka taluka Sub-Divisional Magistrate.
Gopal Italia advocates for the rights of the unemployed youth and citizens. His activism took roots when he worked as a social activist during the Patidar reservation agitation. He was Hardik Patel’s close aide during the Patidar reservation agitation 2015. His journey in social activism has taken rather unexplainable turns when he had been embroiled in controversies after controversies.
Italia’s political journey: from throwing a shoe at the State Home Minister to being the State Party President
Gopal Italia’s formal induction into the political arena was marked by his association with Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) between 2018 and 2020. He has been vocal in criticizing BJP ever since. However, he has always been embroiled in multiple controversies over his strong opinions and actions. However, the event that marked his major entry into politics was a 2017 controversial stint where he threw a shoe at the then State Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja and shouted ‘down with corruption’, all during a time of great political turmoil in the government. His resignation from his government job following the incident was a turning point in his life.
Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) entered Gujarat politics through local elections. Gujarat being a BJP stronghold, other parties entering the fray are now bringing in competition. Gopal Italia joined the Gujarat unit of AAP as the State Vice President in June 2020 after which he went on to be appointed as the State President in December 2020. His stint as the Gujarat AAP State President has been rather eventful, with particular highlights on the efforts undertaken by the party during COVID-19 peak. AAP in Gujarat launched a statewide outreach programme to connect with and interact with the families of those who lost their lives to COVID which was later turned into a political stunt when Italia approached the police stating BJP attempted to disrupt their programme and went onto speak of an attack that took place on all AAP members when they exited Somnath Temple.
The Somnath Temple incident sparked an AAP vs BJP controversy where Gopal Italia accuses BJP of attacking Kejriwal, Isudan Gadhvi and other members through morphed videos as part of their conspiracy to instigate citizens against AAP.
AAP seamlessly entered Gujarat politics when they made their debut in the 2021 Gujarat Municipal corporation elections when they contested for six municipal corporations and won in Surat and Rajkot. Despite BJP ruling ahead, AAP still managed to find their place in the state politics.
2022 Gujarat Assembly Elections
The most awaited and anticipated event to take place in the state has seen several developments. This year round, AAP has been making headlines in terms of their initiatives, efforts and campaigning to gain an upper hand in the state. During the nascent stages of the election preparations, the structure of the entirety of AAP in Gujarat was reshuffled with new appointments being made with Gopal Italia being retained as the State Party President of AAP Gujarat. In light of the current elections, Gopal Italia launched the electricity movement in the state. AAP’s campaigning was moving speedily however the Botad Latthakand incident did appear as a thorn in their sides.
Speaking on the Botad Latthakand Incident, Gopal Italia blamed the poor enforcement of liquor ban in the state to be the reason for bootlegging and liquor poisoning in the state that led to the deaths of around 50 citizens. Gopal Italia also alleged that there existed a nexus between bootleggers and the local police under the patronage of BJP. He called for a CBI investigation into the matter.
Just ahead of Navratri celebrations, he made headlines once again when a video of him was made viral where he was seen calling PM Modi a neech or a lowly person. This news spread like wildfire which further deepened the strife between BJP and AAP as allegations were then set out left and right. The one event that took the entire state by surprise was Arvind Kejriwal dining at an auto rickshaw driver’s house. This event followed Gopal Italia being detained from the office of the National Commission for Women by Delhi police when he was summoned there on 13th October.
What will Gopal Italia bring to the table this time?
Arvind Kejriwal recently declared Gopal Italia to be contesting from SUrat;’s Katargam seat. Given the trajectory of AAP’s movements and victories in Gujarat, a hold over Surat has been observed. However, people question if Italia will be able to hold the position in Surat this time as after BJP’s announcement of their first list of candidates, it was revealed that Gopal Italia will be facing a stiff competition against BJP’s Vinu Moradia who is set to contest from the same seat.
As we sit and wait out the days until voting starts, we ponder over what the outcome could be this time. Would AAP be able to make an impact in a BJP stronghold this time around? Will Gopal Italia be able to breeze past the competition that is Vinu Moradia? Can Gujarat politics be turned around in 2022?
