Chandrakant Raghunath Patil, who is set to step down as Gujarat BJP chief after a successful stint of more than five years – including two-plus years on extension – had been a surprise choice for the job. Originally from Jalgaon in Maharashtra, Patil, or CR as he is more commonly known, was the first “non-Gujarati” to hold the post.

That there were few raised eyebrows was not a surprise, given Patil’s own long tenure in Gujarat, with the former police constable making his way up the rungs, and given the say of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah in the state where the BJP has grown and grown. Plus, Patil was seen as Modi’s pick.

The 70-year-old took over in July 2020 while the BJP was still recovering from the 2017 Assembly polls, where the Patidar agitation had reduced the party to 99 seats in

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