By IANS
Godhra : Godhra, the site of the train burning tragedy of 2002 that triggered communal violence across Gujarat, has voted for the Congress.
C.K. Raulji defeated Prabhatsinh Chauhan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the closely watched electoral battle.
Interestingly, in the early 1990s, the two candidates represented each other’s party: Raulji was with BJP while Chauhan was with the Congress.
Haresh Pandya of BJP, who represented Godhra in the outgoing assembly, was denied the party ticket after he was shown in a sting operation by the Tehelka newsmagazine purportedly bragging about his anti-Muslim role in the communal violence.
Muslims comprise nearly 50 percent of Godhra’s population.
Fifty-nine Hindu activists returning from Ayodhya were killed when the train car in which they were travelling caught fire, alleged to be the handiwork of some Godhra residents, though this has never been established by any one of the inquiries into the carnage. In the ensuing violence, more than 1,100 people were killed across the state. Most victims were from the Muslim community.