Amid speculations that there could be a change in leadership in the new government in Gujarat, the legislative party meeting of the BJP will be held on Friday to elect its new leader.
BJP state spokesperson Bharat Pandya told THE WEEK that the newly elected MLAs will meet in the presence of senior leaders Arun Jaitley and Saroj Pandey.
Though the date of the swearing in ceremony has not been announced yet, it is presumed that it might be on December 25 to coincide with the birthday of veteran leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Having managed to hold on to the power for the sixth consecutive time—though it managed to secure only 99 seats in the 182-member assembly—the BJP would be extra cautious in sending any signals to the people of Gujarat.
With the Rajya Sabha elections due in 2018 and the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, the party needs someone strong to lead from the front. Changing Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel at the outset would only mean that the party itself is not reimposing faith in the duo under whose leadership the election was fought.
However, the party knows it very well that this has to be a stop gap arrangement as it will be faced with the strongest opposition in its last 22 years of power.
If the Congress has youngsters like Paresh Dhanani and Alpesh Thakore on its side, dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, who won as an independent from Vadgam in North Gujarat, has made it clear that he would corner the state government on issues that matter to the dalits and the entire society.
Pro-quota Patidar leader Hardik Patel has said that he would continue his agitation though it is not clear as to how much support he would get. The ruling BJP had time and again said in the past that reservation beyond 49 per cent was not possible as per the Supreme Court guidelines. Patidars have been demanding reservation under the OBC category.
Names of Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, Union ministers Parshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya are doing rounds for the post of chief minister.
The ruling party will also have to take major steps to pacify the farmers from the rural areas ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha election. The BJP got a drubbing in the rural areas and the Congress gained massively.
Pandya said that the reasons for the loss in rural areas would be analysed and the state government would do whatever is needed.
