Rise and fall of key Gujarat BJP face Pradipsinh Vaghela: C R Paatil’s confidant to sudden exit

Hailing from Bakrana village of Ahmedabad district, Vaghela, a Kshatriya leader, had a steady rise in the state BJP ever since he became active in student politics through the RSS’ students wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), in the Gujarat University two decades ago.

Vaghela got his first major appointment when he was elected as the senate member of the Gujarat University in 2003. He was later appointed as the state president of the BJP’s youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), when the state party unit was headed by R C Faldu. Vaghela continued to hold the state BJYM chief’s post for consecutive two terms.

Subsequently, when Jitu Vaghani was appointed as the state BJP president, Vaghela was appointed as the secretary of the state party unit. Vaghela was later also appointed as the vice president of the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan that functions under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

Vaghela’s biggest break came after Paatil was appointed as the Gujarat BJP president in July 2020. In the BJP organisation, the most important position after the president’s post is that of the general secretary. Paatil named Rajni Patel, Bhargav Bhatt, Vinod Chavda and Vaghela as the general secretaries, of whom Vaghela emerged as the most formidable one wielding a lot of clout in the party affairs.

Apart from the South Zone as well as the Ahmedabad city and district, Vaghela was also in-charge of the state party headquarters, Shree Kamalam. He was considered to be a major player in the politics of the Sanand region near his home turf. He also held significant influence over the functioning of the state administration owing to his key position in the ruling party organisation, sources said.

While the BJP has officially claimed that there was no complaint against Vaghela, sources said his resignation is a consequence of infighting in the state party unit. BJP sources said Vaghela was among the prominent leaders whose names were doing the rounds in party circles as Paatil’s successor.

There is a buzz in party circles about the circulation of an anonymous pamphlet containing charges of alleged corruption against Vaghela which is said to have led to his exit, but its details remain unclear and unsubstantiated so far.

A senior BJP office-bearer said, “At a very young age, Vaghela has been holding a very important position in the party. He (Vaghela) has leadership qualities and potential to grow big in politics. He is in his early 40s and to become the state party general secretary at such an age is very significant. His all past four postings are significant ones. The fact that he was appointed as the general secretary also clearly means that he enjoyed the confidence of both the top party leaders – Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.”

The BJP leader said, “What is the exact reason behind the party asking Vaghela to resign is not clear to me. But it seems someone has utterly disliked Vaghela’s growth in the party — and the infighting that ensued has resulted in this resignation.”

Another party leader, who is also an MLA from Ahmedabad, said, “What is happening is very unclear, but it is very serious. If the party has asked him (Vaghela) to resign, there must be something very serious.”