The BJP’s declaration of its Gujarat state executive has seen a realignment of political chessboard. Core issues of loyalty, regional equity and control are back in sharp focus.
State president Jagdish Vishwakarma has unveiled his team. The exercise has expectedly ignited scrutiny of who could call the shots within the party and those who have been subtly shown the door.
One of the unmistakable highlights of the new set of office bearers is that former state BJP president CR Paatil’s supporters have not found a place.
Instead, those who have been believed to be against Paatil have been included.
Ganpat Vasava, perceived to be behind pamphlets against Paatil, has been made president of the party’s scheduled tribe Morcha in Gujarat.
Former MLA Zhankhana Patel from the Patidar community is said to be of the anti-Paatil camp. She has been made one of the vice-presidents.
Senior leaders such as Jayesh Radadiya, Rajni Patel, Gordhan Zadaphia and Bharat Boghra have not found place in the party’s new structure. Youth leader Rutvij Patel, who was in the limelight during Paatil’s stint as the state party president, has also not been included.
Adding to the list of surprise exclusion from the list of new office-bearers is Pradeepsinh Jadeja, who once held the home portfolio in the government.
For those who came in late, the Gujarat BJP underwent a significant organisational overhaul when Vishwakarma announced the full state executive, ending weeks of guesswork.
Here’s the reconstituted structure. It includes ten state vice presidents. Anirudh Dave, Dr Prashant Korat, Hitendrasinh Chauhan, and Ajay Brahmabhatt have been elevated as general secretaries. These positions are central to the party’s operational command.
The reshuffle is perceived as an exercise in organisational consolidation.
As a prominent media house has highlighted, the bold calls are evident in the roles assigned. Experienced leaders were placed in vice-presidential roles. The selection of general secretaries and ministers was aimed at creating a representative mix to sharpen booth-level efficiency, a report outlined.
It’s not lost on the party that it must further improve its communication to keep its election engine smooth and running.
Additionally, the BJP made public the state presidents of the Kisan Morcha, Yuva Morcha, Mahila Morcha, SC-ST, OBC, and Minority Morcha. It completes what the party calls a broader social and political framework.
Going by Gujarat BJP chief spokesperson Dr Anil Patel’s words, the party, as is said in cricketing terminology, is ‘already in the game’. A meeting was convened involving the newly appointed office bearers, the state president, and the organisation’s general secretary.
He indicated that the appointees were formally introduced. They were briefed on their responsibilities and the expectations placed upon them.
Patel conveyed that the party’s focus remained squarely on strengthening the organisation and carrying the Gujarat government’s development agenda to the public.
He said that every office bearer was expected to clearly understand their role in that mission. He further emphasised that the allocation of new responsibilities had a single objective: supporting the government and ensuring organisational readiness for every programme, with old and new office bearers required to function in coordination. According to him, the exercise was about teamwork rather than titles.
Despite these assurances, it’s not all paradise in the party.
The newly announced executive surfaced allegations of factionalism. Several leaders known to be close to former state BJP president CR Patil are notably missing from the list. It has fuelled speculation that their exclusion was part of the game plan.
At the same time, figures perceived to belong to camps opposed to Patil appear to have risen in stature. All this has reinforced perceptions of calculated internal power realignment.
The composition of the executive has also attracted criticism over regional imbalance. South Gujarat, traditionally a BJP stronghold, has been left without a single general secretary. Saurashtra has secured three such posts. This disparity has revived accusations of geographical favouritism within the party.
Discontent has not been confined to state-level analysis. At the local level, the elevation of a Surendranagar district leader to the post of state general secretary has drawn attention, given that he had earlier faced resistance from party workers in his own district.
The move has surprised cadres and strengthened concerns that grassroots feedback was disregarded. Similarly, the appointment of Ajay Brahmabhatt from Kheda as a general secretary has generated murmurs. There is discontent in the leaders from Vadodara and North Gujarat. The general sentiment is they were sidelined.
The reshuffle has also reopened memories of earlier internal confrontations. Leaders who had publicly questioned CR Patil’s working style or whose names had surfaced during controversies such as the Patrika episode have now found a place in the new arrangement.
Former minister Ganpat Vasava, widely regarded as an opponent of Patil, has been appointed state president of the Scheduled Tribes Morcha. Zhankhanaben Patel, whose Assembly ticket was previously denied, has been accommodated with a vice-presidential position in the state committee.
Finally, the new executive has reignited debate over the BJP’s stated principle of one person holding one position. Party critics have pointed out that several leaders who already occupy organisational or governmental roles have been included once again in the state executive, raising questions about consistency in applying the rule and about internal discipline in shaping the expanded committee.
Also Read: Vishwakarma Puts Stamp On Gujarat BJP, Old Guard Returns As Familiar Faces Exit https://www.vibesofindia.com/vishwakarma-puts-stamp-on-gujarat-bjp-old-guard-returns-as-familiar-faces-exit/
