After 20 yrs, Gandhi’s birthplace votes without fear of dons

It’s been a long wait but the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi which had since the 1980s become a cradle for dons is finally looking at an election out of the shadow of the underworld.

Most of these godfathers, and the only godmother, have been wiped out since the last general election in 2004, or are in jail. They include Santokben Jadeja, whose transformation from a simple housewife to India’s only mafia queen was the

inspiration for the Shabana Azmi-starrer Godmother, her brother-in-law Bhura Munja, rival Bhima Odedara and other smaller, less-colourful dons.

“There are not many goons around this time. That is why no election ‘fatwas’ have been heard yet, through only four days are left for poll day,” says Karshan Mehta, a resident of Kadiya plot in Porbandar.

The Porbandar Lok Sabha seat comprises Porbandar, Kutiyana, Manavadar, Keshod, Gondal, Jetput and Dhoraji. The first two used to be the hub of mafia dons, seeing at least 21 deaths between 1985 and 1987 in gang wars. As they rose in prominence, they acquired political dimensions by supporting different parties. The BJP has been consistently winning the Porbandar seat since 1986.

The bloody battle, which basically centred around control of the coastal region’s mining and transport business (with a turnover of over Rs 400 crore), peaked around 1986, when Sharman Jadeja, husband of Santokben, was killed by rival gangster Kesav Kala. Santokben stepped into Jadeja’s shoes, and four years later, got elected as an MLA from her hometown Kutiyana, without addressing a single rally.

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