Political dynamics within the BJP are changing thick and fast these days. Following the buzz that Gandhinagar MP LK Advani is likely to contest from Bhopal in the Lok Sabha elections next year, it is now being heard that former Gujarat minister of state for home, Amit Shah, might contest the Lok Sabha polls from Gandhinagar seat.
This speculation stems from the detailed planning Modi and his team is busy with in New Delhi. Sources in the state BJP confide that though it is a little early to freeze plans for the Lok Sabha polls, leaders are busy preparing a strong base for what is believed to be a battle for survival for the BJP nationally.
For now, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi plans to contest from Lucknow – Atal Behari Vajpayee’s seat for five terms between 1991 and 2004. BJP president Rajnath Singh, it is believed, supports Modi in this.
Another noteworthy murmur in party circles is that the current Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, Arun Jaitley, plans to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar. Like Advani, Jaitley also seems to be losing confidence in Modi and wants to reduce his dependence on the aggressively ambitious PM-aspirant.
As for Shah, he too has a tough battle ahead. An accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsi fake encounter cases, the former minister spent over a year behind bars and was then barred by the Supreme Court from entering Gujarat. In the days to come, his legal troubles are expected to compound.
“For a long time now, Amit Shah has candidly admitted to party members here that he wants to build his political career in Delhi now, not in Gujarat,” a senior source in the party said.
“Now that he has made it as the BJP general secretary at the national level, he does not want to be tied down to Gujarat assembly which would require that he spend time in the state. Besides, Gandhinagar is a safe seat for the BJP consisting of mainly urban areas and Shah’s assembly constituency Naranpura,” the source said.
Another BJP functionary recalls that when Shah was away from the state because of the Apex Court’s orders, he realised that the next power centers in Gujarat after Modi are revenue minister Anandi Patel, finance minister Nitin Patel and industries minister Saurabh Patel – in that order.
“Besides, because of the fake encounter cases in which he is an accused, he will need political backing at the Centre to stay afloat – irrespective of whether it is the UPA or NDA in power there,” the source said.
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