It was billed as the possible nemesis of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Under the patronage of former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, riding on a combination of Patidar angst and rural disgruntlement in Saurashtra, mostly against power reforms, the rebel factor had been in the making for a couple of years. It gained cadence in Rajkot with a five-lakh strong rally making observers see serious trouble for Modi only two months before the December polls.

Instead, it petered out in a whimper on counting day. So much so that only one of the BJP-rebels, who contested either as independents, or on a Congress ticket, managed to retain their seats. To rub it in, BJP bettered its 2002 tally in Saurashtra by four seats. The results have left the rebels scurrying for cover, their political future in doldrums, even hitting a possible dead end.

Left in the lurch, the younger of the rebels are cursing Keshubhai’s indecisiveness. They are perplexed as to how after allowing them to build a campaign around his name he failed to come out even once during the electioneering against Modi. “He tried to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds and we all have paid the price,” says one of the dejected rebels.

Understandably, Keshubhai is mum, perhaps waiting with baited breath for high command’s reaction to his reply. Others simply vague, clueless and evasive.

The youngest of the rebels, Siddharth Parmar, was the most vocal and forthright. “If Modi has won despite our best efforts, it is clear that there were flaws in our strategy. There were also major flaws in our day-to-day tactics,” he admits.

... contd.