The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), currently in power in Gujarat, is poised for a significant leadership change. This development follows the recent induction of C R Patil, the state BJP chief, into the Union Cabinet. Patil’s term had been extended earlier this year in anticipation of the summer Lok Sabha elections.
Sources close to the matter have indicated that Patil’s successor will be announced within the next month. The party is reportedly considering a candidate from the Other Backward Class (OBC) community as it aims to regain its footing. This strategy comes in the wake of Congress’s Geniben Thakor, an OBC community member, securing a Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat. Notably, the BJP had swept all 26 Lok Sabha seats in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state in the 2014 and 2019 elections.
Among the potential successors to Patil are OBC leaders Jagdish Vishwakarma, a state minister, and Purnesh Modi, a three-time assembly member. Purnesh Modi gained prominence last year when his defamation suit resulted in the conviction of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Devusinh Chauhan, the Member of Parliament from Kheda and a minister in the previous Narendra Modi government, is also under consideration for the position of Gujarat BJP president.
A BJP functionary has stated that the final decision on the leadership transition will be made by the Central leadership, in consultation with the state government.
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