Congress in Gujarat has suffered severe setbacks with the defection of some big names such as Kunvarji Bavaliya and former CM Shankersinh Vaghela's son Mahendrasinh this month.
The total tally is expected to rise higher until the arrival of Lok Sabha elections. The Gujarat BJP has managed to poach maximum leaders from Congress in a calculative step and as per its strategy, the BJP will use these leaders as a buffer for the voters who harbour negative sentiments against it.
BJP leaders has faced voters' ire in many areas for several reasons such anti-incumbency, Patel quota stir and the consequential attacks by police on the community, anti-liquor agitation by the Thakor community and unrest among farmers. BJP leaders have been forced to abandon campaign rallies in certain areas because of the people that despised them. But now the Congress turncoats will go in those areas and work as pacifiers.
A senior BJP leader said, "This plan has been discussed in many meetings. Several BJP leaders and workers had clearly refused to visit these areas during campaigning for assembly polls as they feared people's fury and harsh reactions. But those who come from Congress will not face that situation."
"The recent incident of Kunvarji Bavaliya being criticised by people of a flood-affected village near Una was a sudden reaction. Had there been any other BJP leader, the reaction would have been be more intense. This could break barriers between the people and the BJP," said the leader.
The Gujarat BJP has been trying to approach many other leaders from Congress including Tushar Chaudhary-- son of former CM and Congress's tribal leader Amarsinh Chaudhary, Jam Khambhaliya MLA Vikram Madam, Alpesh Thakor, and many more. The BJP has prepared this list selectively so that each of these leaders can convince people from their community to look back at BJP, added the BJP leader.