BTP’s Valsad candidate take to crowd funding to finance LS polls

Surat: In first of its kind case of crowd investment for elections in Gujarat, a candidate of the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), contesting the Lok Sabha election from Valsad seat has taken to social media to finance his election campaigns.
Meet Pankaj Dodia Patel, 36, a cash-starved chief of the Chhotu Vsava headed BTP, residing in Dehgam village in Valsad taluka. He is advocating the rights of the tribal in south Gujarat area for the reason that last many years and has taken to on-line crowd investment using his Facebook account to fund his campaign. Pankaj has studied until class X and did degree from Industrial Training Institute (ITI). At provide, he is working as draftsman in Valsad.

According to Patel, BTP’s main demands come with implementation of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which offers with management and keep watch over of scheduled spaces and scheduled tribes, the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition Of Forest Rights) Act, which legally recognises the fitting of tribals to offer protection to and set up their lands, besides particular schemes for tribal students and the revival of tribal culture.

Talking with TOI, Patel stated, “I'm contesting the election to uphold the rights of tribal folks in our area. The BTP is widespread a number of the youngsters, especially students. I consider that the more youthful era will enhance the crowd investment to lend a hand me contest the election.”

Patel added, “We are already raising price range via ‘Jodi Fado (folks investment) from the last two years for working our tribal campaign. Crowd investment is very similar to Jodi Fado.”

He is contesting in opposition to BJP’s KC Patel Jitu Chaudhary of Congress. The BTP used to be founded by means of tribal chief Chhotu Vasava in 2017 after he parted tactics with Nitish Kumar’s Janta Dal (U). The BTP has expanded to neighbouring Rajasthan and has presence in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Asked in regards to the investment he won on-line, Patel stated, “I initiated crowd investment efforts just two days back and feature won Rs 7,000 from my well-wishers. I consider that the contributions will building up in the coming days. I have shared my account details and IFSC code on the FB for the folks to give a contribution price range directly to my account.”

The early instance of crowd investment for elections in India used to be all through the 2017 Manipur meeting polls by means of anti-AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Power Act) crusader, Irom Sharmila who had collected Rs 4.5 lakh for her celebration—People’s Resurgence and Justice Alliance.

Since then, the apply of raising cash from folks by the use of social media has been adopted by means of a number of politicians. This time around, probably the most outstanding figures using crowd investment to contest LS polls come with former JNU student cum activist Kahnaiya Kumar, who is contesting from Begusarai in Bihar; Nana Patole, Congress candidate from Nagpur; Raghav Chaddah of AAP in Delhi and Mohammed Salim of CPI from Raiganj seat in West Bengal.

Coming down closely on the BJP government in state, Patel stated, “The Gujarat government is popping out with a brand new rule which disallows the tribal to hold axe and sickle into the jungle. Also, we're opposed to the DMIC (Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor), Bharatmala venture, Expressway, Tapi-PAR riverlink and many others. which will ruin our fertile lands and fragile wooded area.”