So, the question is who will take up the top position in Gujarat after Modi? Is there a second line of command the chief minister has readied or will the central BJP leadership decide on the matter after the general elections in April-May?
Experts and political observers believe the BJP lacks a second line of leaders to fill Modi's shoes, though the party is confident there are leaders from its cadre-based system who could very well take up the top job.
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Though the party leadership remains tight-lipped about the top contenders, the names of revenue minister Anandiben Patel, finance minister Nitin Patel, energy minister Saurabh Patel and state Assembly speaker Vaju Vala are doing the rounds.
Earlier, BJP state president R C Faldu had said, "The functioning of the state government and the party has been organised in such a way that it would function normally even in absence of Modi. The delegation of power has been decentralised by our leaders."
Political observer Vidyut Joshi says, "What has happened to the Gujarat BJP unit is the same that had happened to the Congress after Indira Gandhi took over. Here, Modi has done away with the strong organisation culture of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) which was there during Keshubhai (Patel, former Gujarat chief minister). In the state, the party has become more personality-drive, which, in the long term, could harm democracy and the party could crumble."
On the state of affairs if Modi became prime minister, Joshi said, "The BJP in Gujarat will suffer." He said the foremost contenders for the post of Gujarat chief minister were Anandiben Patel, Vala and Saurabh Patel. Vala had vacated his seat in Rajkot for Modi during the 2001 by-election (when Modi took over as Gujarat CM) and was, therefore, in Modi's good books, he added. Also, the veteran Vala has a strong hold in the Saurashtra region, considered a fortress of the BJP. "Between Anandiben and Saurabh Patel, the latter would be a more rational choice," Joshi said.
Another political analyst, Hemant Shah, believes the Gujarat chief minister won't leave his post unless he gets a bigger one such as that of prime minister or BJP president at the national level. He says there is a distinct possibility Modi may surprise everybody by naming someone other than the three most talked-about candidates. "He wants someone whom he can dictate from Delhi."
A look at the contenders:
Anandiben Patel
Among the contenders, Anandiben Patel, 71, is the most prominent and a close confidante of Modi. Though she is not seen as a mass leader, her popularity within the party and clout among bureaucrats is much talked about. She has strong influence in Ahmedabad and the backing of the powerful Patel community. Currently, she holds the revenue, drought relief, land reforms, rehabilitation and reconstruction, roads and buildings, capital project, urban development and urban housing portfolios. She has been member of the state legislative Assembly since 1998.
What works against her is her outspoken nature. She has had rifts with a few party members, including Amit Shah, who, though they support her in public, do not approve of her way of functioning.
Nitin Patel
He was elevated as finance minister after the 2012 Assembly elections. Patel, who brings with him experience, community leadership and vast experience in politics and administration, was health and family welfare minister in the BJP government in Gujarat in 1995 and during the Keshubhai Patel regime. He has been member of the state Assembly since 1990, except during the 2002-2007 term. He has been involved in cotton ginning and edible oil extraction from oil seeds and was director of the Kadi Agricultural Produce Market Committee and member of Mehsana District Cooperative Bank. Currently, he holds the finance, health, medical education, family welfare and transport portfolios. He wields influence over one of the most powerful communities in the state - the oil extractors' lobby.
However, he doesn't enjoy popularity with the masses. Also, he isn't a known orator and cannot draw crowds. He isn't known to be innovative and tech-savvy and lacks popularity within the party.
Saurabh Patel
The 55-year-old entrepreneur-turned-politician is the youngest among the contenders. The energy minister has an MBA degree from the US and has always been a Modi loyalist. He has been in the state Assembly since 1998, becoming a minister after Modi took over the reins from Keshubhai Patel in 2001. The son-in-law of Ramnikbhai Ambani, the elder brother of late industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani, Saurabh Patel is an experienced minister and well versed in governance issues. He is the face of government for those who want to invest in the state. He has been in charge of the energy and petrochemical portfolios, besides those of industries, minerals, mines and civil aviation, for about a decade.
The flip side is he doesn't have a strong base among the masses. Also, when it comes to grass-root-level campaigning and party politics, he seems inexperienced.
Vaju Vala
In his late 70s, Vala is a six-time member of legislative Assembly. He holds the record of presenting the most number of state Budgets (14). He was finance minister before he was unanimously elected Speaker of the Gujarat Assembly in January 2013. He has a strong base in Saurashtra.
Vala, however, isn't tech-savvy and believes in the old school of politics. He does not have a base in many regions outside Saurashtra such as the southern and northern regions in the state.