Gujarat Elections 2022: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not believe in political kite-flying. The PM would instead prefer to be known for his knack of decision-making that has an element of surprise, which the party can later label as a “masterstroke”. Be it Yogi Adityanath’s appointment as Uttar Pradesh CM, the entire Vijay Rupani cabinet in Gujarat being replaced, or the exclusion of party stalwart Nitin Gadkari from the party’s national executive — all such decisions carry Modi’s trademark stamp of decision-making.

Yet, unlike the high-octane UP assembly elections earlier this year when there was suspense on whether the BJP would continue with Yogi as Chief Minister for a second term, BJP has, this time, declared that Bhupendra Patel will continue as CM if the BJP returns to power in Gujarat. This, despite the fact that when it comes to poll strategies, the BJP is known to take harsh measures when anti-incumbency is a factor to reckon with. It is as part of the same strategy that stalwarts like Vijay Rupani and Nitin Patel, former CM and deputy CM, respectively, have been barred from contesting the Gujarat elections.

The curious case of Bhupendra Patel

It is in this context that the party’s decision to continue with Bhupendra Patel as its CM candidate strikes odd. Why have BJP’s top guns put their weight behind Bhupendra Patel as CM for another term despite the anger over the Morbi bridge collapse that has put the government in the dock just over a month before polls?  

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In an interview to News18, Union Home Minister Amit Shah vociferously said BJP would repeat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel for another term after it gets majority. Amit Shah held a roadshow with Bhupendra Patel in Ahmedabad and was was present along with him when Patel filed his nomination from the Ghatlodia assembly seat. Observers see Modi-Shah’s decision to pick Patel as the CM face more surprising than the reshuffle of the entire Vijay Rupani cabinet last year,  and the duo backing for Patel as “unprecedented”.    

Who is Bhupendra Patel?

Patel began his political career as a councilor from the Memnagar municipality in 1995, and steadily garnered a reputation as a problem-solver that catapulted him into Modi’s good books.

Since his appointment as the Chief Minister of Gujarat on September 13 last year, Bhupendra Patel has focussed on delivering and has successfully managed to distance himself from the spotlight as well as controversy. Moreover, he is known as a leader who always remains accessible to party workers and constituents. 

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Patel has also stayed silent on contentious issues such as the drug haul at Mundra in 2021, the Gujarat government’s decision to grant remission to the rape convicts in the Bilkis Bano case in August this year, and the flogging of Muslims accused of disrupting a garba event in Kheda last month. 

Modi’s Man Friday

According to a report published by The Indian Express, when Patel completed 200 days in power in April this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a letter to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel commended his “far-sighted” decisions taken in public interest and for welfare of the poor during his short tenure.

PM Modi, IE reported, praised Patel for the state government’s demolition drive on Bet Dwarka island and at other places along the state’s coastline, suggesting the drive restored the “pride of Bet Dwarka” and maintaining “law and order” in a determined way.

Knack to score on poll pitch

Despite being a first-time MLA, Patel has run the government with diligence and dexterity with a cabinet which mostly has first-time ministers. This has not gone unnoticed, say political experts. .

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The BJP, under his leadership, has also performed well in two elections it has faced. While the BJP won 41 of the 44 seats in the Gandhinagar corporation, it is estimated to have bagged more than 70% of the gram panchayat seats, which are not fought on party symbols.

The Patidar factor

In Gujarat, Patidars (or Patels) are considered to be Lord Rama’s descendants. Although Patels account for 12-14 percent of the electorate, they are extremely powerful financially and influential politically. According to pollsters, their votes determine the outcome in at least 70 of the 182 assembly segments. Patidars are a consolidated vote-bank for the BJP, and one-third of its MLAs hail from this community. The Patel factor, as experts opine, gives Bhupendra Patel an extra edge. 

Moreover, the death of late BJP CM Keshubhai Patel in 2020 left a void in the Patidar community that BJP sees Patel as filling conveniently. With the Patidar agitation now faded, having a Patidar face as its CM candidate delivers a necessary point home to voters that drifted away from the BJP the last time. Bhupendra Patel is the fifth Gujarat Chief Minister from the Patidar community after Anandiben Patel, Keshubhai Patel, Babubhai Patel and Chimanbhai Patel.