The Giant Killer

The election campaign of Geniben Thakor, the lone Congress MP from Gujarat, was as impressive as her victory

- Shweta Desai

GUJARAT’S cooperative model of marginal farmers pooling in small resources to generate large-scale production and become self-reliant with ownership control has made an invaluable contribution to dairy and agriculture development across the country. The same model became an inspiration for Banaskantha district’s cashstrapped Congress MLA Geniben Nagaji Thakor when locals nudged her to take the big dive and contest elections.  

In her 28-year-long political career, Thakor holds an impressive winning strike rate in local panchayat and municipal body elections, having experienced losses only twice in the Assembly elections. She told the villagers if they wanted her to stand for national elections, she would not just require their votes but also notes (money) for campaigning. 

“Gujarat is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home ground, and the BJP has a stronghold in the state. It is not easy to contest elections on an Opposition ticket, especially when one has no money,” she told Outlook.