Political heavyweight in Gujarat Keshubhai Patel may step down as president of Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP), which he formed before Assembly election in 2012.
Sources close to the 86-year-old veteran said that looking to ill health and his youngest son Bharat’s decision to join the BJP in the last week, the former Gujarat Chief Minister had almost decided to become inactive in politics. However, Patel himself has not yet confirmed the development.
Following his increasing differences with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, he and other BJP dissidents including former Chief Minister Suresh Mehta, former union minister in Vajpayee government Kashiram Rana, former minister of state in Modi government Gordhan Zadaphia and others joined his to form GPP. In fact, Zadaphia, who is general secretary in GPP, had merged his political party Maha Gujarat Janata Party into Keshubhai new political initiative.
Though, under Keshubhai’s leadership GPP contested from all 182 assembly constituency, only two candidates including Keshubhai Patel and Nalin Kotadia emerged victorious. Already Kotadia has joined BJP and Keshubhai’s youngest son Bharat, who is considered as his political heir recently joined saffron brigade, GPP has literally no representation in Gujarat Assembly. In fact Keshubhai himself gave permission to Bharat to join BJP for better political career and never insisted him to become active in his own political outfit.