The BJP high command is considering replacing Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel owing to her reported “lack of performance” and “failure” to handle the Patel agitation in her state.
The BJP high command is considering replacing Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel owing to her reported “lack of performance” and “failure” to handle the Patel agitation in her state.
The BJP’s poor performance in last year’s civic polls had also gone against the CM. Ms Patel met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday morning, apparently to discuss the drought situation.
Ms Patel’s recent meeting with RSS man Sanjay Joshi also did not go down well with the party high command. Mr Joshi is seen to be in the anti-Modi camp and many senior party leaders avoid meeting him in public. Ms Patel could be appointed as a governor.
As the party is looking for a change of guard in the state, there is a demand from the state unit to replace Ms Patel with BJP president Amit Shah. The state unit reportedly conveyed to the party high command that only Mr Shah, regarded as a master strategist, could retain the state for the BJP in the Assembly elections next year. The other name doing the rounds was Nitinbhai Patel, in charge of a slew of ministries. Some BJP leaders felt it would be “politically prudent” to replace Ms Patel with “another Patel”.
A section of BJP leaders believe that the reported “failure” of the chief minister is helping the Congress make a comeback in the state. The Patel agitation, which has been growing rapidly, could help the Congress electorally, this particular section maintained.
With BJP leaders feeling the party is losing its iron grip on Gujarat, Prime Minister Modi asked senior party leader Om Mathur to assess the situation and report. Sources disclosed that Mr Mathur suggested a change of guard in the state. Mr Mathur also pointed out that a large chunk of the Patel community, which had shifted to the BJP, was now returning to the Congress fold.
That the chief minister was tacitly being overruled by the BJP high command became evident when the party appointed Vijay Rupani as the Gujarat unit chief. Ms Patel was against Mr Rupani’s appointment. However, Mr Rupani’s appointment was viewed as “direct intervention” by Mr Shah. Sources said that despite Ms Patel being CM, Mr Shah’s shadow looms large over Gujarat BJP politics.
