Why BJP thinks Union minister CR Patil is indispensable to Gujarat unit

When he took charge of the BJP in Gujarat, partymen were aghast: how could a Marathi head the party in a Gujarati-speaking state? Four years down the line, no one in the BJP wants CR Patil to leave the state though he is now Minister of Jal Shakti in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Union Cabinet.

Patil himself has told the BJP leaders as well as the rank and file in Gujarat that he should be allowed to give up the presidentship of the state party in the line with the “one person, one post” principle.

Gujarat BJP for Patil

As of now, however, Patil will continue to hold both the posts. This will be so at least until December.

The decision has been taken in view to the upcoming panchayat and civic polls likely to be held between October and December this year. After that, he shall be relieved as the Gujarat BJP president.

Patil completed his four-year tenure as the BJP president on July 20, 2024. Earlier state presidents mostly served a three-year term.

Patil critical for elections

On July 4 and 5, Patil expressed his desire to step down from his role in Gujarat when he addressed a party gathering at the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Salangpur in Botad district.

“Release me from the responsibility of the president… I have requested the high command also... Let another leader take on this responsibility, someone who will unite everyone and further the party’s success,” Patil had said.

The coming election will cover over 4,700 gram panchayats, two Zilla Panchayats -- Kheda and Banaskantha -- and more than 71 municipalities. The election for the Junagadh Municipal Corporation is also slated for October or November.

The OBC factor

A BJP leader from Ahmedabad told The Federal that the party will have to deal with 27 per cent OBC electorate, “which will be a very difficult task without Patil, who is an OBC leader”.

Patil took charge as the state BJP president in July 2020 amid serious internal rifts between Patidar leaders. The most unexpected announcement stunned party leaders as the state has never seen a non-Gujarati party president.

His appointment received more flak as he replaced Jitu Vaghani, a prominent Patidar leader from Saurashtra region.

Patel overcame BJP’s turmoil

In a state where politics is dominated by Patels, the BJP took a chance by appointing Patil – a Marathi – as its state chief.

Patil came at a time when the BJP was struggling with Patels both internally and externally. The Kadva Patels sought more posts in party and the government. The Congress appointed Hardik Patel as its working president.

Over time, Patil handled both the situations very well. He managed to transcend the caste and regional identity and unite the party. “Now he seems irreplaceable,” political analyst Gautam Sah told the Federal.

Patil’s bold moves

Sah added: “The BJP understands that Patidar voters can make or break any political equation. So, by appointing a Marathi, the party made the caste equation redundant.”

Nobody would have expected the kind of decisions Patil took during his tenure. Even amid flak, he handpicked the cabinet ministers of the Bhupendra Patel government that replaced the Vijay Rupani government in 2021.

The BJP went on to win with a record 152 out of 182 Assembly seats in 2022 under Patil’s leadership.

A shady background

This was attributed to the organizational changes Patil brought in within the party, a BJP leader said.

Patil began working life as a constable who had several cases of bootlegging charges against him. He was suspended at least twice.

He was also a prime accused in a multi-crore Diamond Jubilee Co-operative Bank scam in which he was accused of defaulting payment of Rs 50 crore to a Surat-based bank.

Time in prison

He was arrested in the case and remained in jail for several months between the late 1980s to early 1990s.

After coming out of the jail, Patil joined the BJP in Surat. He continued to rise politically from being president Surat district BJP to becoming MP from Navsari for the first time in 2014.

The four-term Navsari MP has the track record of winning elections by massive margins.

A giant killer

In 2014, he won by around 6 lakh votes – the third highest winning margin in the country. In the 2019 state elections, he won with a record margin of 6.89 lakh.

Patil has always known to be close to both Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. His organisation prowess had made him the go to person for putting together most grand events of the party.

So, who will replace him eventually in Gujarat? Few people want to even think about the prospect now.