Who will replace Narendra Modi in Gujarat?

Almost all the exit polls have predicted a landslide victory for the BJP-led NDA government in the 16th Lok Sabha elections.  With Narendra Modi slated to be the country’s next top leader, the interesting question which arises is who will succeed him as the chief minister of Gujarat? There have been several names which are making rounds for the state’s top job. We’ll look at the list of potential candidates who are predicted to be the next chief minister of Gujarat.

Anandiben Patel
The top runner for the state’s top job is Anandiben Patel. She is known widely for his grip on the bureaucracy. She has been a Modi loyalist since 1998, standing by him through his lean/tough times. Adding to the speculations, she was even seen with Modi, while the latter was filing his nomination papers in Vadodara. Only road block to the chief minister’s chair is Amit Shah with whom she shares a cold-bitter relationship.

Saurabh Patel
Another name doing the rounds is of Saurabh Patel. He stands second in the list after Anandiben Patel. He has already held some of the most important portfolios in Modi’s cabinet over the years. Saurabh is known to be the most educated minister in Modi’s ranks and is believed to have good relations with the industrialists.

Nitin Patel
Another Patel in the list is Nitin Patel. Nitin is the current finance minister of Gujarat. By far, only Nitin has voiced his ambitions. He says, “BJP is surely coming to power in the center and Modi will be nation’s next prime minister. Whatever happens next (decision of electing the Gujarat chief minister) has always been and will be the party’s decision.”

Bikhubhai Dalsaniya
Bikhubhai is enlisted here as because of his close links with the RSS. If there’s anything to believe in the RSS-BJP connect of choosing candidates, his name is surely going to be discussed.  Bikhubhai maintains a low profile in the state but he is close to Modi and is known to have his hand in deciding the candidates for the elections.

Amit Shah (read first in the list)
The right hand of Modi, Amit Shah is last on the list as it widely speculated that he’ll be one of the ministers in Modi’s union cabinet of ministers. Shah has been the closest person to Modi in Gujarat over the years. If he’s not given a cabinet berth, he is sure to be the next chief minister of Gujarat.

The election results will be out on 16th May. The BJP is believed to sworn the new chief minister before 20th May. If the exit polls are to be believed, Gujarat is surely going to have a new chief minister.

Whoever chairs the top post, will she/he be an able administrator as Narendra Modi has been?