BJP body to decide on Anandiben’s successor
The BJP parliamentary board will meet on Wednesday to decide Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel’s successor.
Among the names of probables doing the rounds are party president Amit Shah and Vijay Rupani and Nitin Patel, both Ministers in Ms. Patel’s Cabinet.
Sources said the final decision would be taken by Narendra Modi, who had handpicked Ms. Patel to succeed him after becoming the Prime Minister in 2014.
Once she demits office, she is likely to be made a Governor.
BJP vice-president Dinesh Sharma, who is in charge of the party in Gujarat, and organising secretary V. Satish will travel to Ahmedabad on Wednesday to meet MLAs and State leaders.
According to BJP insiders in Gujarat, Mr. Shah was scheduled to visit the State for three days from August 4 to 6.
But there is no confirmation of the visit in the changed scenario.
Ms. Patel on Monday offered to resign at a time when the party is facing unrest and rising anti-incumbency ahead of the Assembly elections due next year.
Her handling of two major agitations — one by the powerful Patidar community and the other by Dalits after members of the community were beaten up by a cow vigilante group for allegedly skinning a dead cow — was widely criticised.
She also faced severe challenges from within her party, making her lose grip over the party and the government that left the State in a limbo.
Incidentally, Ms. Patel announced her offer to quit on a day the Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by activist Harsh Mander, who challenged the CBI court order discharging Mr. Shah as an accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter case.
Following her offer to resign, Mr. Shah said the matter would be placed before the party’s parliamentary board.
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