• News
  • Kshatriyas pushed to sidelines in Saurashtra's political sphere
This story is from April 19, 2014

Kshatriyas pushed to sidelines in Saurashtra's political sphere

With the influence of royalties waning in Saurashtra, the once politically strong Kshatriyas have been pushed to the sidelines in the electoral landscape of the region.
Kshatriyas pushed to sidelines in Saurashtra's political sphere
RAJKOT: With the influence of royalties waning in Saurashtra, the once politically strong Kshatriyas have been pushed to the sidelines in the electoral landscape of the region. This time none of the prominent political parties have fielded any candidate from the community for Lok Sabha polls.
Rajendrasinh Rana was the lone Kshatriya MP from Bhavnagar in the outgoing Lok Sabha, but BJP has denied him a ticket this time.

Political analysts say Kshatriyas, who had been dominating the social and political spheres in Saurashtra since Independence, have been compelled to tow their party lines and make way for candidates who have a greater chance of winning on the basis of caste equations.
There are seven Lok Sabha seats in the region and none of them is considered safe for a Kshatriya candidate. It is the Koli, an Other Backward Caste (OBC), that has emerged numerically very strong in the region.
There were no safe seats for Kshatriyas in the last assembly polls also. The BJP and the Congress had fielded six Kshatriya candidates out of which only two won. Even heavy weights from the community like Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil, Kiritsinh Rana and Mahendrasinh Sarviaya lost the polls to Koli candidates.
"Now onwards, Kolis and Leuva Patels will dominate the politics of Saurashtra region,'' a political leader said.
Observers say Kshatriya leaders in Saurashtra region have been unable to win the confidence of other castes that are close to their lineages like Karadiya Rajputs.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA