Ben in charge

On May 22, at the BJP’s legislative party meeting in Ahmedabad, a teary-eyed Anandiben Patel was announced as Gujarat’s chief minister to take over from Narendra Modi. “I am grateful to Narendrabhai for expressing confidence in me. BJP is a party where women get much respect. I would keep intact the course of development set by Narendrabhai,” said the 73-year-old who, along with Amit Shah, is often described as Modi’s “left and right arms”.

When Anandiben took the oath on May 23 as the fifteenth chief minister of Gujarat, she was setting twin precedents — as the first woman CM of the State and as the most educated one. The retired school principal is an MSc, BEd and MEd, and a gold medallist. In his address to party members, Modi said, “She is most suitable for the post as she will be the most educated CM till date. Even in a conservative society of that time, she obtained higher education.” When his whirlwind election campaign began in September, Modi left the day-to-day running of the State in her capable hands.

Even during Modi’s tenure, she held multiple key portfolios — urban development, revenue and disaster management. Taking a cue from Modi’s cabinet at the centre and his control over ministries, Anandiben, as chief minister, will hold over 10 portfolios, including the ones she held earlier, and all subject matters not allotted to other ministers. Seen as a hard taskmaster, her no-nonsense governance style is similar to Modi’s.

Long known as a Modi loyalist, she was rewarded for her allegiance when he picked her to be his successor, over other strong contenders such as Saurabh Patel and Nitin Patel — both popular leaders of the influential Patel community. Saurabh Patel, the energy and finance minister however, brushed aside such speculation. “Anandiben, almost every week, visits a district and stays there over the weekend. She is the most travelled minister in the cabinet. She logs in about one lakh kilometres through the State annually.”

Indeed, under a section titled ‘Regular & Disciplined lifestyle’ in her profile, Anandiben details out her travels — a visit to some part of the State from Thursday to Sunday that involves review of departments; meetings with ‘common citizens’ on Monday and Tuesday; and departmental heads on Wednesday. In his farewell speech in Ahmedabad, an emotional Modi praised “Amitbhai” for his work, amid a crowd clamouring for Amit Shah as CM. A silent Anandiben had stood by and watched. Despite reports of rivalry between the two “arms”, Anandiben’s elevation to the post of CM was inevitable.

Pool to party

Anandiben’s plunge into politics was not a planned one. In quite a dramatic fashion, she was noticed by the BJP in 1987 when she made news for heroically jumping into the Sardar Sarovar reservoir to save two girls from drowning, for which she won a bravery award. At the time, she was teaching at Mohinaba Kanya Vidyalaya in Ahmedabad. Persuaded to join by a party looking for a strong female voice, Anandiben quickly and quietly rose through the ranks, mirroring her mentor’s ascent around the same time.

In the initial years, Anandiben made a name for herself through her organisational skills. In a newly liberalised India, she was entrusted with the responsibility of heading the Gujarat BJP’s Mahila Morcha. In December 1991, during the height of insurgency in Kashmir, BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi announced the ‘Rashtriya Ekta Yatra’ from Kanyakumari to Srinagar. On January 26, 1992, Joshi hoisted the Indian flag for the first time ever at Lal Chowk. Next to him, holding the flag’s mast was Modi. The lone woman who accompanied them on the yatra was Anandiben.

Born into a farmer’s family in 1941 in the Mehsana district of Gujarat, Anandiben was the eighth among 10 siblings — four brothers and six sisters. While pursuing her graduation, she also assisted her father at farming their fields. In 1962, she married Mafatbhai Patel and the couple moved to Ahmedabad four years later. She completed a dual Masters in science and education while raising two children. Their marriage however, did not last too long. Mafatbhai was politically inclined initially, but it was Anandiben who was groomed for a career in politics. Much to her embarrassment, Mafatbhai had even announced contesting for the elections on an AAP ticket; their children convinced him otherwise.

Over nearly three decades, Anandiben has moved from strength to strength in the party. In 1994, she was given a ticket to the Rajya Sabha and four years later, she successfully contested from the Mandal constituency in Ahmedabad. In the 2012 State assembly elections, she contested from the Ghatlodia constituency and won with a record margin. She is the longest-serving BJP minister in the State. “She has the farsightedness required for a leader,” says State BJP chief R C Faldu.

Despite her efficient administrative style, party workers are yet to warm up to her. While she maintains good relations with the bureaucracy, party members sometimes see her as arrogant and unfriendly. Unsurprisingly, Anandiben’s only defence is: “I should be judged not by the smile on my face but for the work that I do.”

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