Changing Gujarat CM now would make no sense -Governance Now

Changing Gujarat CM now would make no sense

Vijay Rupani-Nitin Patel team to continue in the new term

GN Bureau | December 22, 2017

#Narendra Modi #BJP #Politics #Elections #Gujarat #Vijay Rupani

Speculation is over, as senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley announced in Gandhinagar Friday that Vijay Rupani will continue as chief minister of Gujarat, along with Nitin Patel as his deputy. The speculation was needless: it made little sense for the party to change the leader at this stage.

With the December 19 verdict of the Gujarat assembly elections showing a scary dip in the BJP’s popularity with only 99 seats in its bag, there were unconfirmed reports that the party would name a new CM. The possible candidates for the post also started doing rounds, with the electronic media on Friday naming Vajubhai Vala (long-time state finance minister, former assembly speaker and now Karnataka governor), Mansukhbhai Mandviya (minister of state in the centre), Jeetu Vaghani (state party president), Nitin Patel (outgoing deputy CM) and others as possible contenders.

Logically speaking, Rupani was brought in only last year, in August, to counter a negative perception about Anandiben Patel, and there is no justification to remove him now that the elections are over. On the whole, popular perception about Rupani is not negative, even if he can’t match up to the role of Narendra Modi who was Gujarat CM for 13 years. His governance record is ok enough. Caste calculations – to bring in a Patel face at the top – do not apply any more now that vote is over.

Bringing in a new face makes sense to counter anti-incumbency. That was the logic to bring in Rupani a year ahead of elections, and also Modi himself a year before the 2002 elections, when Keshubhai Patel’s popularity was going down. That is not needed at this stage – though it may be very much needed ahead of the next elections in 2022.

Comments

Other News

Why civilization is a precarious thing

The Decline of Hindu Civilization: Lessons from the Past By Shashi Ranjan Kumar Rupa Publications, 416 pages, Rs 995

End of an era: BJP poised to rule Mumbai after 25 years

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance was set for a decisive victory in the Maharashtra municipal corporation elections, consolidating its dominance across Maharashtra’s urban landscape. As per the latest trends from the vote counting on Friday afternoon, the state`s ruling coalition was leading in 19 of the

Startup India initiative: A decade of building India’s innovation backbone

* With over 2 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups as of December 2025, India stands firmly as one of the world’s largest startup ecosystems. * A decade of Startup India has built a full-lifecycle support system spanning ideation, funding, mentorship, and scale-up. * Around 50% of DPIIT-r

How toll policies are redefining the highway journeys

With the phenomenal growth in National Highways, queues at toll plazas used to affect commuters. However, over the last decade, tolling has undergone a major technological transformation, bringing faster movement and significant ease for road users. Building on this progress, year 2025 saw further people-c

From vulnerabilities to empowerment: Building resilience for small and marginal farmers

India’s small and marginal farmers are at the centre of a paradox in agrarian economy. They are the backbone of the food economy, but they are the most vulnerable stakeholders within agricultural economy. Among the 126 million farmers in India today, nearly makes 86% operate on small and marginal hol

Concerns over Mumbai air pollution ahead of Marathon

Environmental organisation Awaaz Foundation has flagged serious concerns over deteriorating air quality in Mumbai and the potential health risks it poses to participants of the Tata Mumbai Marathon scheduled for January 18. It has urged civic and pollution control authorities to conduct advance air quality