This year’s Gujarat Assembly election has attracted a host of media persons to his ancient town Khambhalia, also known as Jamkhambhalia, says Dikhabhai Gadhvi. “Otherwise who comes here? All go straight to Dwaraka. We’re enjoying the media glare,” he says with a chuckle. He immediately refers to Isudan Gadhvi, the Aam Aadmi Party’s chief minister candidate from Khambhalia. 

A former television journalist, Isudan, topped the AAP’s janata referendum result to emerge as the CM face. He has been churning the state politics like his local folks manually process milk to make a world famous pure ghee. Isudan’s supporters in Khambhalia have been living the dream since he emerged as the CM face and are making all efforts to get him elected. He faces Congress sitting MLA Vikram Madam and BJP’s former minister Mulu Ayar Bera. The AAP has put aside the caste equation in setting up Isudan in the contest despite him being from a community that has much less presence. The Congress and BJP have fielded candidates from Ahir community, which has the maximum number, and has given an MLA, either independent or from the Congress or BJP,  from among them since 1972. A non-Ahir had last won here in 1967. Of late, the Ahirs, who are into cattle farming, are dogged by a stringent law against stray cattle. The community considers itself as descendants of Lord Krishna, whose birthplace Dwaraka is not very far from Khambhalia.