In selecting Vijay Rupani, a hardcore organisation man and only a first-time MLA with no government experience, to succeed Anandiben Patel, who was a seasoned Cabinet minister when Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally chose her to succeed him as CM in Gujarat in 2014, the BJP appears to have taken a conscious decision to repair the party, which is in poor shape. Assembly elections are due next year. Policy-related issues have made the powerful Patel community, who formed the BJP’s core base, unhappy in light of the way in which the massive agitation led by Hardik Patel on the quota issue was handled.
The dalits are up in arms since last month when they were flogged for skinning a dead cow. This is in the context of communalised Hindu outfits pushing the so-called beef agenda and “gau rakshak” vigilantes acting without fear of the law. In addition, there is the unseemly spectacle of open infighting in the state BJP. When she was CM, Ms Patel did not get on with BJP president Amit Shah. Lately she has accused the latter of undermining her government from within by engineering agitations against it.
All concerned seem to be trying to brush the differences under the carpet and to make it appear that there’s nothing wrong, when in fact every nerve is being strained to fix things. As it is Mr Modi’s home state, Gujarat has special meaning in the BJP’s scheme of things. If the party’s poll calculations are upset next year, the Prime Minister may be pushed on the backfoot. The incoming chief minister, who is considered specially close to Mr Shah, starts with a handicap in spite of his organisational experience.
Gujarat’s Patels are not likely to take kindly to him at present. Though Nitin Patel, a political lightweight but having Cabinet experience, has been made deputy CM, he had expected to be given the top job. His aspirations were probably laid low as he was the choice of Anandiben, whose terms with Mr Shah can at best be called sour. Nevertheless, it has been evident for some time to BJP watchers that the RSS’ favoured choice was Mr Rupani due to his organisational acumen as it knew the value of setting the BJP’s house in order before a major election.
The shallowness of the BJP’s talent pool is showing. In Haryana it had to bring in Manohar Lal Khattar — who had not been a legislator — from the RSS, and it hasn’t worked. Gujarat seems to be going much the same way, although Mr Rupani has been an MLA for three years. Goa seems to have grown vulnerable and there is talk about defence minister Manohar Parrikar being moved back. These are testing times for the BJP.
