With Gujarat’s Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel is seen as the frontrunner to succeed Narendra Modi — Prime Minister-designate in the State, the BJP legislatures in Gujarat will elect their new leader on Wednesday May 21.
Confirming the development, Gujarat BJP in-charge Om Mathur said that Modi will tender his resignation from the post of the Gujarat Chief Minister on Wednesday after his final speech in the Gujarat Assembly at a grand farewell to him by his colleagues. Soon after the farewell, BJP MlAs will have a meeting and the name of the new Chief Minister will be declared. The saffron party has appointed senior party leader Tharvarchand Gehlot as observer for the election process of new Chief Minister of the State along with Mathur.
“Modi will resign as MlA Maninagar only after he will take oath as the Prime Minister of India. The new Chief Minister of Gujarat is expected to take oath on Friday, May 23,” said a top leader in Gujarat BJP.
Though, Anandiben’s name is almost final as the next Gujarat Chief Minister, looking to Modi’s track record of giving surprises, no one in the saffron brigade is sure on his successor. Many times in the past Modi kept all his cards close to his chest and even his closest aides kept guessing on such occasions.
Meanwhile, a completely new name emerged out of the blue for the most coveted post in the State — Dr Ganapat Vasava — a tribal leader and the Forest & Environment Minister in the Modi Cabinet. Already Amit Shah, close aide of Modi, allegedly expressed his desire to succeed him. But the PM-designate would like him to work on national platform, as his master strategist, following his resounding success in Uttar Pradesh. Names of Bhikhu Dalasania, organisational secretary of Gujarat BJP as well as two other senior Ministers — Nitin Patel and Saurabh Patel — are also doing the round.
Though seniority-wise Vasava ranked sixth in the State Cabinet, Modi asked him to sit next to him at the recently concluded Cabinet meeting held just a day after the 16th lok Sabha election results. “It is the typical Modi style of conveying message to his colleagues and party functionaries,” said an insider.
By promoting Vasava, Modi is eyeing to hit two birds with single stone — balancing between his two close aides — Anandiben and Amit Shah as well as further reducing Congress’s sway in Gujarat’s tribal belt spreading over 450 km, flaking borders of three States — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. The tribal constitute whooping 14 per cent of the total voters in Gujarat — on whom Congress depend heavily.
“This move is seen as long-term planning on Modi’s part. Vasava, an educated tribal leader and handpicked by the Gujarat Chief Minister, first time elected as MlA in 2007 and instantly made the Speaker. When he again elected in 2012, he was given berth in his Ministry, that too of Cabinet rank,” he opined.
In the Gujarat’s political history of 54 years, only single tribal leader became the Gujarat Chief Minister — Amarsinh Chaudhry in 1984. Till 2002, tribal votes were committed to the Congress. However, after the 2002 communal riots, BJP first time made inroads. But again they switched over to Congress in 2007 and 2012 Assembly elections. A logic behind Vasava’s choice as the Chief Minister is to ensure tribal votes permanently in favour of the BJP.