Modi to pick next Gujarat CM

The BJP is waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a call on successor of Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben who offered to resign on Monday.

At the same time, the party has decided to depute a two-member team to assess the situation in Ahmedabad. BJP’s Gujarat in-charge Dinesh Sharma and national joint general secretary (organisation) V Satish will land in Ahmedabad on Wednesday to interact with state unit office-bearers, MLAs and Anandiben Patel to find out who should be the new chief minister.

BJP president Amit Shah, who does not enjoy a good equation with Anandiben, had on Monday said the party parliamentary board would decide on her resignation and that she wanted to give space for younger leadership ahead of vibrant Gujarat mega show. Anandiben will turn 75 in November, which is the undeclared age bar for leaders to remain in office.

The parliamentary board meeting, said sources, is likely to take place on Wednesday to accept Anandiben’s offer to quit. She had moved into the chief minister’s office after Modi became the prime minister in May 2014. The urgency for the BJP to take a call on Anandiben’s continuation is because Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is travelling to Pakistan for the two-day Saarc meet on Wednesday evening.

BJP sources, however, said that the successor may not be decided in the meeting of the highest decision-making body as the central leadership would like to have a feedback from the ground before making a formal announcement. Later, Amit Shah may also travel to Gujarat to ensure that change of guard in the state capital is smooth. Gujarat party chief Vijay Rupani, state minister Nitin Patel and Union minister Purshottam Rupala are being considered as the front runners to replace Anandiben. The CM’s exit was a foregone conclusion due to her poor handling of Patel agitation and physical assault on Dalits by a cow protection vigilante group in Una.

Gujarat BJP leaders are wondering why Anandiben took populist decisions — giving seventh pay commission salary to state employees from August 1 and exemption to smaller vehicles from toll tax from August 15 — on the eve of her resignation.  She took these decisions without taking Cabinet into confidence. Her decision to make J N Singh the state chief secretary has also raised many eyebrows since the top bureaucrat is seen as close to Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela.