Next on Modi's agenda: A successor for post of Gujarat CM

Much has been reported in the last weeks about PM-aspirant Narendra Modi’s hectic schedule, 15-hour workdays and more. And it seems the Gujarat chief minister is not taking a break after exit polls predicted a record tally for the BJP with the NDA comfortably making the 272-mark or coming within a whisker of it. Next on the agenda for Modi, reports said, is a succession plan for the chief ministership of his home state. All reports have indicated until now that the front-runner for the post is Anandiben Patel, one of Modi’s closest aides and currently revenue minister in the state. [caption id=“attachment_1520947” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Anandiben Patel (L) with Pratibha Advani daughter of senior BJP leader LK Advani during an election campaign rally in Ahmedabad last month. PTI.[/caption] A report in The Times of India said Modi met his core team in Gujarat including senior ministers and party leaders. He “reviewed the performance while he was away campaigning”. He may have also hinted at possible names to succeed him, the report said. According to a report in Business Standard, those attending the meeting included Anandiben Patel, Finance Minister Nitin Patel, Energy Minister Saurabh Patel and senior Gujarat unit members. It said, “…Anandiben has already assumed a bigger role and has been chairing important meetings on state administration in Modi’s absence.” The meetings in Gujarat will continue on Tuesday with the chief minister slated to meet the party’s MLAs and MPs in Gujarat to discuss names of possible successors. An NDTV report said the other possible successors are Saurabh Patel, Industries Minister, and Bikhu Dalsania, an organisational secretary of the BJP in Gujarat. Interestingly, the Times of India report also said Modi met former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, apparently to discuss ways of bringing the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) together.