Gujarat CM resignation: Who could replace Vijay Rupani and what lies next for BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party will have its task cut out for next year’s assembly elections in Gujarat as it grapples with the sudden resignation of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and attempts by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party to make inroads into the state as part of it national expansion plans. The Congress party will also be eyeing a comeback to power in the state by hoping to further improve its performance in the last assembly elections, when it restricted the BJP to its 22-year lowest tally of 99 seats. Both the opposition parties have upped the ante against the BJP over its handling of COVID-19 pandemic in Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s home state.

Rupani sought to downplay his resignation by saying the BJP was a party that believed in handing over responsibilities to its different leaders. However, the ruling party will still have to decide between appointing his successor and a new cabinet, allow the state to come under President’s Rule or contest the polls over a year before their scheduled time. Just last month, Gujarat’s BJP state president CR Paatil had said that the party will contest the assembly elections under the leadership of Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel. “Both Nitinbhai and Vijaybhai are working with full force for the development of Gujarat, and the upcoming election will also be contested under their leadership,” the BJP state president had said in response to a question about the speculation over the change in leadership in the government, PTI reported.

‘What Changed?’

Media reports say that Rupani may have been forced to resign after the BJP’s central leadership “expressed dissatisfaction” with his performance. Quoting sources, NDTV reported that his resignation seemed to be a “course correction” by the BJP, which is “eager to change things around if it feels unsure in its state leadership.”

After all, Rupani is the fourth BJP chief minister to step down in recent months. Before Rupani, Karnataka’s BS Yediyurappa resigned as Chief Minister in July. In Uttarakhand, Tirath Singh Rawat resigned as Chief Minister just four months after replacing Trivendra Singh Rawat. Pushkar Singh Dhami took over as Uttarakhand Chief Minister.

Who could replace Vijay Rupani?

Both Patel and Paatil are now being considered as key contenders for the chief minister’s position, along with Mansukh Mandaviya, who was appointed as Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare during the cabinet rejig ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July. Mandaviya, a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat has already reached Rupani’s residence, for deliberations on the political crisis in the state, according to media reports.

The BJP could also consider Parshottam Rupala, whose Rajya Sabha tenure ends in four months, as Rupani’s replacement, given his hands-on experience of leading the party’s state unit and his clout within the Kadva Patidar community. This could prove crucial for the BJP to take on Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) working president Hardik Patel, who rose to political prominence in the state amid the Patel community’s agitation for recognition as Other Backward Class (OBC).