Gujarat: How Bhupendra Patel is breaking free from Modi-Shah shadow
He has created a reputation as an approachable and amicable leader with a mind of his own; his predecessors were seen as puppets of BJP central leadership
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will lead a delegation to Japan and Singapore to promote the Vibrant GujaratGlobal Summit (VGGS) 2024. Patel is the second chief minister of Gujarat after Narendra Modi to represent the state internationally to promote the VGGS. In his two years as chief minister, this is seen as one of the many feathers in his cap.
Patel, who replaced Vijay Rupani ahead of the assembly polls in 2022, is increasingly viewed as the most successful chief minister to make his own mark in a state where Modi remains the star leader of the BJP. He is the third chief minister of the state in eight years to have stepped into the giant shoes vacated by Modi in 2014 to become India’s prime minister.
Like Modi earlier, Patel’s carefully chosen close aides were also announced without fanfare. Two advisors, Hasmukh Adhia, an expert on finance and education, and SS Rathore, a water resources and infrastructure expert, are veterans from the Modi regime. Also, K Kailashnathan, who began as the chief principal secretary in Modi’s CMO, got his 10th extension in Patel’s office.
Ahead of the 2022 elections, it was speculated that the next candidate for the chief ministerial position would be from the Patidar community as the Patidars were unhappy with the BJP over lack of representation in the government. Politically influential, the Patidars comprise 20 per cent of the voters. “Although Bhupendra Patel is a Patidar, the decision to bring him in over many veterans surprised everyone including the seniors. Patel was never before heard of as a BJP leader in Gujarat’s political scenario,” Manishi Jani, a political analyst, told The Federal.
Sweeping victory
“A huge task lay ahead of Patel as he was replacing a chief minister who was largely considered a puppet of the Modi-Shah government. Besides, Patel had to anchor a government weighed down by anti-incumbency after being in power for three decades. He did deliver on all accounts, with a whopping 156 of 182 seats in 2022. Patel broke the record of not just Modi’s win as chief minister but recorded the highest-ever winning margin of any Gujarat government, surpassing that of Congress chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki,” said Jani.
Succeeding Rupani, Patel had to battle the accusation that he was a puppet chief minister, remotely controlled by the Centre. However, unlike Rupani, he did not engage with the opposition through press conferences. Patel decided to go about with his daily mass outreach programme across the state after taking office. Travelling the length and breadth of the state, he received a reception that matched the popularity of the Modi regime.
“He spent nights with locals at their homes in the tribal districts of south Gujarat. He ate with them and was accessible to the masses directly. No other chief minister of Gujarat has done this kind of mass outreach. There is no doubt that he is gaining popularity amongst the mass of Gujarat where Modi’s name still yields electoral results,” said Jani.
Added Ghanashyam Shah, an Ahmedabad-based political analyst and social activist: “Early on in the second term, the physical presence of ministers was made compulsory for five working days of the week by Patel. This is a step one relates to the first term of Modi as prime minister. Patel’s style of working reminds many of Modi.”
Battle with factionalism
A builder by profession in Ahmedabad, Patel was former chief minister Anandiben Patel’s campaign manager in the Ghatlodia seat, which he contested and won since 2017, after she vacated it. Even though he was not in the political limelight before 2021, the 2022 state elections were fought in Patel’s name and with his face in the posters along with Modi’s. This was unlike his predecessor Rupani, whose face was not in campaign posters even in Rajkot, his own constituency, in 2017.
“Patel took over a party grappling with severe factionalism. He used to be considered an Anandiben loyalist and therefore had to deal with and win over the Amit Shah faction. He also had to grapple with the presence of the BJP state chief CR Patil who over the years has emerged as one of the most powerful leaders in the state BJP. Earlier, the reports of Patil’s interference in running the government were commonplace during the Rupani regime,” added Ghanashyam Shah.
Patel, in his two years in office, has created a reputation as an approachable and amicable leader yet a chief minister with his own mind. He has taken some landmark decisions and successfully navigated through one of the worst natural disasters to hit the state. The most striking policy decision of the Patel government has been the revision of the Jantri or circle rates in February this year which were doubled with immediate effect.
The revision had been pending for 12 years because no government wanted to risk the flak of real estate builders who have always been strong supporters of the party. Despite a strong pushback from the real estate sector, the Patel government stood by its decision, which earned him grudge and then praise in due course.
Developments in Modi’s pet project GIFTCity are another high point in the Gujarat government led by Patel. For a second year in a row, no new taxes were levied in the state budget. However, the real feather in Patel’s cap was the management of Biparjoy, an extremely severe cyclonic storm, in June. The Patel government received praise for its preparedness, the planning and the evacuation efforts.
