Gandhinagar: Who will succeed Anandiben Patel? At least four names are doing the rounds. Party insiders rule out the possibility of national president of the BJP Amit Shah returning to Gujarat to succeed her as the next chief minister. It is stilll circulated as a possibility, but there are not many takers for it.
The four top contenders for the post of chief minister are Health Minister Nitinbhai Patel, Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Finance Minister Saurabh Patel and state BJP president Vijay Rupani.
1. Nitinbhai Patel: The 60-year-old minister is the most prominent Patel face in the party. He has an RSS background and is a favourite of the Sangh cadre. The flip side is, he is not acceptable to some other dominant castes and is known mostly as a Patidar leader.
2. Bhupendrasinh Chudasama: 65-year-old Chudasama is the oldest among the four top contenders. He is the Rajput face of BJP and known for his commitment towards Dalits. He also has the blessings of the RSS. The flip side is he is a very low-profile leader who cannot be counted on to lead the party in the next assembly elections.
3. Saurabh Patel: 57-year-old Saurabh Patel holds two important portfolios – Finance and Energy. He is known as the chief architect of power sector restructuring in the state. He is also an efficient administrator and the youngest among the four. He is close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
4. Vijay Rupani: 59-year-old Vijay Rupani is the state BJP president and also holds the transport and water supply portfolios. He is a Jain Baniya by caste. He is known to be quite close to both PM Modi and party chief Amit Shah. He also has an excellent rapport with the RSS. Party insiders say he is a good political strategist and can mobilise crowds. The flip side is that he is junior-most among the ministers with just two years of experience.
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