10-09-2006, 03:32 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Five years later, Narendra Modi shines on </b>
Pioneer.com
RK Misra | Gandhinagar
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has completed five years in office on Saturday. He is still in comfortable command with little threat to either position or power.
Modi's five years make him the second longest serving Chief Minister of the State after Madhavsinh Solanki who had three stints at the helm with one of them in excess of a full five year term.
However, Modi's popularity endures and as things stand, <b>he is expected to cruise through comfortably in the next State Assembly election which is due in 2007</b>.
This is largely attributed to the inability of the Congress to function as a team. For the most part, the main opposition in Gujarat, remains a groupism riddled set-up which lacks a leader capable of taking on Modi.
Bharat Solanki who has been inducted as State party chief sometime ago still lacks the standing to take on Modi while Arjun Modvadia, the leader of the Congress Legislature party seems short on homework in his attacks on the CM. Both leaders derive their power from Ahmed Patel, political advisor to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
<b>In fact political observers here believe that Patel remains the biggest stumbling block in energising the Gujarat Congress since a strong leader at the helm in Gujarat would automatically mean erosion of his hold over the State</b>. It is primarily due to differences with Patel that Union Textile Minister Shankersinh Vaghela was removed as State party chief. However, he still remains the only leader with gumption and guts to take on Modi.
In fact dissidents within the BJP in the State owing allegiance to former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel have been far more successful than the Congress opposition in needling Modi. It was Patel and former Union Textile Minister Kashiram Rana who took the Chief Minister to task for the omissions and commissions of the Government in flood-hit Surat.
With elections to the State Assembly due next year, the dissidents are concerned that Modi may again sweep in the party selection of candidates to their detriment. They have therefore launched a campaign for making <b>Patel the State party chief since the present president Vajubhai Vala's term is expiring soon.</b>
Their reasoning is that if Patel becomes the State party chief he will be able to prevent Modi making a clean sweep by nominating his own people.
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Pioneer.com
RK Misra | Gandhinagar
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has completed five years in office on Saturday. He is still in comfortable command with little threat to either position or power.
Modi's five years make him the second longest serving Chief Minister of the State after Madhavsinh Solanki who had three stints at the helm with one of them in excess of a full five year term.
However, Modi's popularity endures and as things stand, <b>he is expected to cruise through comfortably in the next State Assembly election which is due in 2007</b>.
This is largely attributed to the inability of the Congress to function as a team. For the most part, the main opposition in Gujarat, remains a groupism riddled set-up which lacks a leader capable of taking on Modi.
Bharat Solanki who has been inducted as State party chief sometime ago still lacks the standing to take on Modi while Arjun Modvadia, the leader of the Congress Legislature party seems short on homework in his attacks on the CM. Both leaders derive their power from Ahmed Patel, political advisor to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
<b>In fact political observers here believe that Patel remains the biggest stumbling block in energising the Gujarat Congress since a strong leader at the helm in Gujarat would automatically mean erosion of his hold over the State</b>. It is primarily due to differences with Patel that Union Textile Minister Shankersinh Vaghela was removed as State party chief. However, he still remains the only leader with gumption and guts to take on Modi.
In fact dissidents within the BJP in the State owing allegiance to former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel have been far more successful than the Congress opposition in needling Modi. It was Patel and former Union Textile Minister Kashiram Rana who took the Chief Minister to task for the omissions and commissions of the Government in flood-hit Surat.
With elections to the State Assembly due next year, the dissidents are concerned that Modi may again sweep in the party selection of candidates to their detriment. They have therefore launched a campaign for making <b>Patel the State party chief since the present president Vajubhai Vala's term is expiring soon.</b>
Their reasoning is that if Patel becomes the State party chief he will be able to prevent Modi making a clean sweep by nominating his own people.
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