AHMEDABAD: Four newly appointed office-bearers from Jalalpore resigned from the Gujarat BJP’s Navsari district unit, triggering a fresh power struggle in Union Minister C R Patil’s stronghold ahead of the local body polls.
Navsari, the political stronghold of Union Minister and former Gujarat BJP president C R Patil, has become the epicentre of internal churn involving Jalalpore MLA R C Patel, just months ahead of crucial local body elections.
The trigger came late on February 9 with the announcement of the new Navsari district BJP organisational structure. What was meant to be a routine reshuffle quickly snowballed into open dissent, and within days four newly appointed office-bearers, District Vice President Ashok Patel, Bakshi Panch Morcha General Secretary Vijay Patel, Kisan Morcha General Secretary Prakash Patel and District Organisation Secretary Chetna Patel, resigned, submitting their letters to district BJP president Bhuralal Shah at his office.
The resignations followed a telephonic confrontation with the district president. According to party insiders, when their concerns were brushed aside, the four leaders left their resignation letters on Shah’s table in his absence after he verbally refused to accept them.
The core of the dispute lies in Jalalpore, the Assembly segment represented by BJP MLA R.C. Patel, where resentment has reportedly been simmering for months. Party workers allege neglect in the distribution of key posts, claiming that grassroots workers are being sidelined in favour of “chosen favourites”.
Ashok Patel, who was appointed vice president but was widely expected to become general secretary, voiced his dissatisfaction.
“The workers of Jalalpore have worked tirelessly to end Congress’s totalitarian rule and turn this region into a BJP stronghold. Yet, year after year, Jalalpore is ignored. We are committed to the party’s work, but we cannot continue to work in silence in the face of repeated neglect,” he said.
According to sources, the dispute is not merely about organisational posts but about influence and perception. A dominance battle has reportedly been brewing between Jalalpore MLA R.C. Patel and C.R. Patil’s camp, with friction occasionally surfacing in public.
In a public remark earlier, C.R. Patil, without naming anyone, had said, “Who can call a tiger and say your mouth stinks?”, a statement widely interpreted as a jibe at dissenters within the party.
R.C. Patel, in turn, had publicly criticised district president Bhura Shah at an event in Vijalpore, telling him from the stage to “look at Navsari, not Vijalpore”, a remark that sparked discussion within party circles.
With Bhura Shah reappointed for a second term and his new team announced after a delay, factional divisions appear to have sharpened. Jalalpore’s alleged denial of the general secretary post has brought tensions involving R.C. Patel’s camp to the fore. Party workers suggest there may be an attempt to limit the MLA’s influence in the district unit.
Navsari’s political importance heightens the situation. As C.R. Patil’s parliamentary constituency and long-standing stronghold, visible discord sends an uncomfortable signal to the state leadership.
With local body elections approaching, the developments raise questions about the BJP’s ability to manage internal differences in one of its key bastions.