BJP, Congress woo Gujarat tribals in election year

Ruling BJP and Opposition Congress are reaching out to tribals in Gujarat ahead of the Assembly polls slated by the year-end.
BJP has decided to take out an 'Adivasi Vikas Gaurav Yatra' from next month, while Congress has also announced a similar programme in the tribal-dominated areas of the State.
Gujarat has a long tribal belt on the eastern side of the State, where adivasi voters decided the fate of candidates in 27 out of the 182 Assembly seats.
Congress has been traditionally winning tribal belt seats, but of late BJP has been making inroads into adivasi- dominated areas.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Union Ministers from the State will be part of the yatra, which will be led by Gujarat BJP President Jitu Vaghani.

" Vaghani will lead the yatra in the tribal belt from Unai in South Gujarat to Ambaji in North Gujarat. Leaders, including the Chief Minister and various Union Ministers from Gujarat will address public meetings during the yatra, which will start from February 7," State BJP spokesperson Harshad Patel said today.

The yatra will cover 15 districts. Both Unai and Ambaji are famous religious places.
Congress, on the other hand, had earlier announced it will take out a march from Ambaji to Umergaon.
However, the dates of Congress' yatra have not been finalised yet, party sources said.