Murmurs about Vaghani's leadership grow louder

GANDHINAGAR: Murmurs about the apparent lack of appeal of the youngest Gujarat BJP president Jitendra (Jitu) Vaghani are growing louder by the day. Critics say he has not succeeded in projecting his leadership over the people or even the BJP cadre. Vaghani's failures in controlling the opposition among his own Patidar community in his home town Bhavnagar, preventing the public embarrassment of BJP nation president Amit Shah and chief minister Vijay Rupani at the Patidar Sanman Samaroh Surat last month and the failure of his independent authority as a leader may force the top BJP leadership to revise their strategy before the 2017 elections.
A top BJP leader who preferred to remain anonymous said: "Discontent in the party against the new state president is increasing rapidly due to his working style and lack of mass appeal among the people and party cadre. There is wide-scale opposition from Patidars and other communities in the Bhavnagar city BJP. Co-ordination troubles with senior party office bearers and the president are growing. His co-ordination with senior ministers in the government is also a matter of concern. He has a good rapport with BJP national president Amit Shah and CM Vijay Rupani but his discomfort with other leaders is noticeable. His poor oratory is also a matter of concern as he uses written speeches at all public meetings or in party forums."
"His lack of clarity on key issues like changes in the party units in vital cities like Ahmedabad, appointment of leaders to government boards, corporations, lack of fresh plans to reach out to the people, lack of co-ordination with the RSS leadership and his rough style of working are matters of concern. The party's top leadership may change strategy and appoint a few senior leaders to support him soon," a source said.
Vaghani, 46, the second-time MLA from Bhavnagar West was appointed Gujarat BJP president recently. He is a former Yuva Morcha president and is hardly known outside Bhavnagar district.
A Leuva Patel leader, Vaghani is known as an aggressive but unpolished speaker. However PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah handpicked him for this key post, leaving behind a dozen senior leaders in the state.