In Modi land, BJP demotes Keshubhai Patel
By IANSFriday, March 5, 2010
AHMEDABAD - Former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel, who led a rebellion against Chief Minister Narendra Modi, will no more be chairman of the state advisory committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He will now on be just one of its 26 members.
The Gujarat BJP announced Friday evening 14 new names in a new list of 20 office bearers. No one has been named the chairman. Many of the members are women and youths besides four Rajya Sabha MPs and two legislators.
No reasons were given for Patel’s demotion. Patel led a revolt against Modi coinciding with the December 2007 assembly elections, after which he was issued a show-cause notice.
Three women are among six vice-presidents. They are Ramila Bara, former legislator of Khedbrahma, Sushma Agrawal, former deputy mayor of Surat, and Nauka Prajapati, president of Bhabhar Municipality of Banaskantha.
Ajay Choksi, a former mayor of Surat, has been named a vice-president as is I.K. Jadeja, the BJP spokesperson.
Bhikhu Dalsania, Bharatsinh Parmar and Vijay Rupani will continue as organisational general secretaries.
Shankar Chaudhary, legislator from Radhanpur, is the new addition to the team of general secretaries.
Rajya Sabha MP Surendra Patel has been reappointed the treasurer.
Former chief minister Keshubhai Patel and former state president Purushottam Rupala are among the members of the state advisory committee.
