Seldom before have fingers been pointed out at the Election Commission of India so easily and over such a normal and rather trivial matter as the declaration of poll schedule for assemblies completing their terms within weeks of each other. But the wait in the case of Gujarat though with the hope that the polls in the state would take place before December 18, when results for Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha will be out, is so glaring as to put a question mark over the venerable commission’s wisdom behind the step besides giving credence to allegations of its succumbing to pressure from the top echelons of power.

A simple and initial electoral exercise appears to have been tweaked to give the ruling party in the state as also at the Centre, the benefit of the absence of model code of conduct for a few more days, or maybe a week or two, to not only run their writ but also to charm and woo the voters with more promises, sops and maybe doles.

This is how the Congress cried foul moments after Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti fixed November 9 as the date for polling in Himachal Pradesh but withheld poll dates for Gujarat for a future announcement though he said that these would be before December 18 when results for Himachal Assembly come so as to avoid any effect of Himachal results on voters in Gujarat.

True, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to visit Gujarat, which is also his home State, as early as Monday (October 16). And his planned shows would escape the model code that would have been in force with the announcement of poll dates by the commission to bar parties and their leaders to make any offers to voters except stating their programmes, policies, and agenda as a part of electioneering. With this possibility in mind, the BJP’s rivals and more so Congress among them point out that pressure could have been mounted by the Prime Minister’s Office on the commission to withhold and defer the announcement of the date for polling in Gujarat. And to back these claims Congress leaders point out that both the Press Information Bureau and the media had noted before the press conference held at 4 pm on Thursday, October 12, that it has been called to announce the schedule and date of polling for both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assemblies.

So eyebrows were raised soon after the press conference at the Nirvachan Sadan office of the Election Commission as no dates were announced for polling in Gujarat though both BJP and Congress are in virtual election mode in the state and the fight, in any case, is going to be fiercer in Gujarat than in Himachal Pradesh. This is more so since the latter does not have the kind of stakes as is the case in Gujarat.

A Gujarat Gaurav Yatra or road show by the BJP higher-ups with an eye on elections is already on in the state. Modi is going to grace this yatra on Monday. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has already been moving with yatra to build support and draw crowds for Modi’s visit. And the issues that Rupani is facing are too ticklish to be addressed or handled once the model code of conduct becomes operative. One of these issues is the withdrawal of criminal cases filed against Patidars or Patel youth. They have mostly been part of all BJP-led stirs. And, thus, many of them find themselves to be on the wrong side of the law. A little over two years ago Patels’ leader Hardik Patel fell out with the BJP on the demand for job quota for Patidars.

Now to bring back Patels to the BJP fold is proving to be too difficult a task for the BJP. The paucity of jobs that can bring regular and assured income is an issue that cuts across Patels and other castes. The frenzied sectarian violence of the past has run out of its peak and heady days. And it has left a trail of court cases where not only marginalised castes or tribesmen but also many among a bit better off Patels face court cases. Hardik Patel and his cohorts, some of whom are still part of the BJP, want these to be withdrawn by the state. The BJP, obviously, needs time to strike a bargain and work out a plan with its supporters who are now restive unlike in the past.