Banaskantha (Gujarat), April 5 : The political atmosphere in Gujarat's Banaskantha district is charged ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

In a battle of two women, the Congress has fielded Geniben Thakor against BJP nominee Rekhaben Chaudhary from Banaskantha, a seat held by the BJP since the 2013 bypoll.

Geniben Thakor, the Congress' sole female representative in the Gujarat Assembly, is known for her spirited advocacy of women's issues and her ability to cut across party lines in the Legislative Assembly.

Thakor has also taken a novel approach to her poll campaign, initiating a political crowdfunding drive that encourages the voters to contribute to her nomination deposit with a starting point of Rs 11.

She also actively promotes a QR code on social media for campaign donations.

On the other hand, BJP's Rekhaben Chaudhary also emerges as a significant contender, who is the only new female face in BJP's first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat.

Hailing from a lineage of political and social prominence as the granddaughter of Banas Dairy founder Galbabhai Chaudhary, Rekhaben Chaudhary, an academic with a background in mathematics, brings her scholarly discipline to the political arena.

Her extensive experience as an engineering professor, her family's entrenched political roots, and her husband Hitesh Chaudhary's involvement in the BJP's organisational structure fortify her candidacy.

The recent electoral history of Banaskantha tells a tale of decisive victories, with BJP's Parbatbhai Patel securing victory in 2019 by a margin of 368,296 votes against Congress' Parthi Galbabhai Bhatol.

As Banaskantha gears up for another electoral showdown, the focus is on what might sway the voters -- Thakor's grassroots mobilisation or Rekhaben Chaudhary's political pedigree.

With the district's history of reflecting the broader political trends, the outcome in Banaskantha will be a closely watched indicator of the political undercurrents in Gujarat.

/IANS