Saurabh Patel emerges as possible successor of Narendra Modi

Bellevision Network
TOI

AHMEDABAD: 1 December 2012: A normally inflexible Narendra Modi has gone out of his way to secure his past and future, if one analyses the reason behind shifting two of his closest aides, both Patels, to safer seats.

Modi’s oldest aide and revenue minister Anandiben Patel has been moved from Patan to Ghatlodia, while his current favourite and MoS Saurabh Patel has moved from Botad to Akota. If not for the changes, both ministers would have lost elections. But so is the case with at least a dozen other ministers, whose pleas for similar bailouts fell flat on Modi.

So why were exceptions made for only the two Patels? Anandiben (71) has health problems and wanted an Ahmedabad seat for her to nurse it well without much travel. In Saurabh’s case, Modi perhaps sees him as his successor, in the event of his move to Delhi in 2014 — just in case Anandiben’s health was to deteriorate further.

Saurabh (54) has inched closer to Modi while former MoS Amit Shah was away because of his legal problems. Modi told parliamentary board members that Saurabh needs to be shifted to a safe seat because he needed him in the next assembly.

An MBA from the US, Saurabh is related through marriage to the Ambanis but, is considered closer to the Adanis. He is critical to corporate houses as he holds the important portfolios of energy, finance, industries, petrochemicals, minerals and civil aviation.