Gujarat BJP to get new chief by first week of January

The party is through with its membership drive and the final list of members will be submitted to the central leadership in New Delhi next week.

Once the names for district presidential posts are declared,the process for election of state president will get a push.

“At least 60 per cent of the district presidents should be elected and they should submit names for consideration to the central party leadership,” said a party insider.

Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and Kaushik Patel are the favourites due to their closeness to CM Narendra Modi,while Dilip Sanghani may get the favour for being a senior Leuva Patel leader from the Saurashtra region. Sanghani is the state cooperation minister and has a good rapport with co-operative sector leaders.

Former MLA from Dhandhuka Bharat Pandya,who is in-charge of the enrolment drive of the party in Gujarat,said the drive was over and a meeting would be held in Ahmedabad on Sunday to take stock of the situation.

“The district presidents will be named in two to three days,while the state president will be declared by the first week of January,” Pandya said while declining to reveal any names.

“I cannot give out the names,but whoever he is,will be in the saddle in the first week of January,” said Pandya.

Chudasama,the Rajput leader among the probable candidates,said he was aware of his name making rounds. “But the final decision will be taken by the party leadership,” he said.

Patel said the party leaders would have the last word on the issue. Sanghani said he being a minister in the state government did not discuss the issue with anybody in the party organisation.

He said he would not be part of the decision-making body consisting of the organisation leaders.

However,he cited the example of Vajubhai Vala,who was moved from the government to the party organisation.

State BJP president Rupala said once the district presidents’ list is finalised,it will be sent to the central leadership.

Rupala too refused to name the probables,but did say that the list will be out in the first week of January.