As incumbent Gautam Shah serves his last week, names of prospective candidates have started doing rounds
The countdown to selection of the mayor for the largest urban local body in Gujarat has begun. Incumbent Gautam Shah is serving out his last week as mayor and names of candidates likely to succeed him have already started doing the rounds.
taken after selection of the Standing Committee chairman. If the chairman is selected from the western part of the city then, the mayor will be from the eastern side, said a source in the BJP.
However, one more theory proposes that if the deputy mayor is from the eastern part of the city then the mayor will be from western side. For the post of deputy mayor, Dinesh Makwana from Saijpur ward is a rather likely candidate. Hence, the mayor could be from the western part.
The frontrunners, as of now, are four members – Madhu Patel and Hira Patel from the eastern part of the city and Nandini Pandya and Bijal Patel from the western side.
Madhu Patel has served as a Standing Committee chairman in the past. She was also president of the BJP women's wing in the city. She is being considered a frontrunner because of her seniority and experience. Patel, who is serving her second term, had been dropped in the 2010 election because of the BJP's no repeat policy. In 2015 though, owing to the law of having 50% reservation for women in the local body, she got a berth again.
On the other hand, Hira Patel is considered loyal to the party and senior among other women members. Also, the Patel lobby in the BJP is pushing her name for the post of mayor. Apparently, the current BJP city president represents the same area as Hira Patel, which is why her name is among the frontrunners.
Nandini Pandya is serving her second term as a councillor and at present, is the chairman of the Women and Child Development Committee. However, if the Standing Committee chairman is a Brahmin candidate, she won't be mayor.
Bijal Patel, senior and local councillor, was a frontrunner for the post at the time when Meenakshi Patel was selected as mayor. This time, her name is on the list of contenders. Currently, she is serving as the chairperson of the Recreation and Heritage Committee.
Given the policies of the BJP, there is a possibility of a surprise candidate too. Often in the past, at the last moment, the BJP has changed their candidate.
But for the four main posts, namely mayor, standing committee chairman, whip and leader, the BJP considers all equations such as caste, lobby and experience, among others.
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