Ahmedabad: A day after Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel announced her decision to quit, speculations are rife on who will succeed her ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls, overcoming the grim challenges on its way to maintain the over two decades of winning spree in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Though the decision is to be taken at the "highest level" of the BJP leadership, the names doing the rounds as potential successor to Anandiben include the "number two" in the cabinet and health minister Nitin Patel, state BJP chief Vijay Rupani, Union minister Purshottam Rupala and Assembly speaker Ganpat Vasava, a tribal leader.
Nitin Patel, a front runner for the chief minister's post, when asked about his chances, responded with the stock reply that the central leadership will take the decision and every one will accept it.
However, sources in the party said the final decision in this regard will be taken at the highest level and at present, one can not hazard a guess on who was the favourite. Anandiben's resignation at this stage will give the new chief minister time of over one year to make his mark before the 2017 elections, scheduled to be held in the end of that year.
As soon as she made her decision public by taking to Facebook, Mr Shah said in New Delhi that her successor will be chosen by the party's parliamentary board, which, according to sources, will meet soon.
She had to put up with some upsets as BJP fared badly in the rural civic bodies polls in December 2015 and the opposition Congress making handsome gains at the cost of the BJP.
Recently, the Dalit uprising after the Una thrashing incident had also dented the party's image.
Though the decision is to be taken at the "highest level" of the BJP leadership, the names doing the rounds as potential successor to Anandiben include the "number two" in the cabinet and health minister Nitin Patel, state BJP chief Vijay Rupani, Union minister Purshottam Rupala and Assembly speaker Ganpat Vasava, a tribal leader.
Nitin Patel, a front runner for the chief minister's post, when asked about his chances, responded with the stock reply that the central leadership will take the decision and every one will accept it.
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However, sources in the party said the final decision in this regard will be taken at the highest level and at present, one can not hazard a guess on who was the favourite. Anandiben's resignation at this stage will give the new chief minister time of over one year to make his mark before the 2017 elections, scheduled to be held in the end of that year.
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As soon as she made her decision public by taking to Facebook, Mr Shah said in New Delhi that her successor will be chosen by the party's parliamentary board, which, according to sources, will meet soon.
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She had to put up with some upsets as BJP fared badly in the rural civic bodies polls in December 2015 and the opposition Congress making handsome gains at the cost of the BJP.
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Recently, the Dalit uprising after the Una thrashing incident had also dented the party's image.
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