Always in news: Anandiben Patel, Gujarat's former chief minister, never ceases to be in the news. Mid last year, she took to social networking site to announce her resignation, citing age criterion. Soon thereafter, rumors did rounds that she could be made Governor of some state. She preferred not to reply.
Former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel | PTI
Now, things have gone a step ahead. Even as the BJP is in the process of selecting presidential candidate, party leader Subramaniam Swamy on Tuesday tweeted that “One of the best candidates for the President is former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel. So what, if she is Gujarati? I am too Gujarat's son-in-law”.
The BJP is silent and this time as well, person in the news has kept mum.
Well, but if Prime Minister Narendra Modi decides, nothing can stop his confidante Patel from becoming the President. Only one hitch is that BJP national president Amit Shah and Patel don't see eye to eye. Moreover, there were allegations that during Modi's tenure as chief minister, Patel's daughter Aanar's business partner was given away land at a throwaway price near the Gir National Park.
Gurudas Kamat out, Ashok Gehlot in: A few months ahead of assembly elections in Gujarat, the Congress leadership in New Delhi has changed party's in-charge for Gujarat. Party president Sonia Gandhi has appointed former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and under him four others to look after Gujarat affairs.
Congress leader Ashok Gehlot | PTI
The move is expected to bring in the much needed balance between the Gujarat leadership. Nothing seemed to be well with the party for quite some time. Kamat, who had been sulking over various issues dealing with the party's decisions in Maharashtra, had met opposition leader Shankersinh Vaghela in Gandhinagar recently.
Sources said that the party leadership was annoyed with Kamat as he gave statements about what transpired in the meeting. A group of MLAs had declared support for Vaghela and wanted that he be given a free hand during the upcoming polls.
Gehlot is not new for Gujarat. He has been the party's in-charge in the past. As Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi puts it, “Gehlotji knows many persons by names in North Gujarat. The decision has been taken by the party high command and under his guidance the party will do good.”
Yet another trip of PM to Gujarat: BJP national president Amit Shah at a recent meeting of party's state executive may well have asked party men to create such an atmosphere in the state that the PM does not need to come to Gujarat time and again but the prime minister's schedules have been worked out in such a manner that he would be in Gujarat every month for the next couple of months.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi | PTI
Narendra Modi had inaugurated a series of projects in Surat and Saurashtra regions. Now, on May 22, Modi would attend a meeting of African Development Bank's annual meet at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.
On May 23, he is slated to do the ground breaking ceremony of Kandla Coastal Economic Zone. He is also supposed to address a public meeting.
With the back to back visit of Modi and Shah to Gujarat, the BJP's rank and file are already in an election mode whereas the Congress still does not have a leader who can appeal different strata of the society.
