BJP Gen Sec meets family of late ex-CM Rupani amid internal rifts, sparks political speculation
AHMEDABAD: BJP National General Secretary B L Santosh on Monday became the first national leader to visit the former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's residence after the funeral-expense controversy, triggering political chatter across Saurashtra. The BJP's 22-minute closed-door meeting with Anjaliben Rupani has revived speculation of the Rupani familys re-entry into the BJP power structure and amplified whispers about internal fault lines. The BJPs high-profile Saurashtra zone meeting at Kamalam in Rajkot chaired by National General Secretary B L Santosh and Gujarat President Jagdish Vishwakarma was meant to project organisational unity ahead of crucial SIR-related political planning. Before stepping into the meeting, B L Santosh drove straight to the residence of former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who died in the tragic Ahmedabad plane crash. Santosh, along with Ratnakar and Vishwakarma, met with Anjali. The gesture signalled a recalibration of Delhis equation with the influential Rupani family. Rajkot city BJP president, considered aligned with the Bharat Boghra faction, was made to wait outside. Insiders said this move was deliberate, strategic and deeply symbolic. After the hushed meeting ended, Rishabh Rupani touched the feet of B L Santosh and Vishwakarma, a gesture that did not go unnoticed in local political circles. Sources say B L Santoshs real mission was to understand Anjalibens mind, and insiders insist he succeeded. Speculation is rife that the party may soon offer a key organisational role to a member of the Rupani family, a development that could reorder local power equations. This renewed engagement comes months after the most jarring controversy since Rupanis passing. After the former CMs state-level funeral on June 16, 2025 , traders who helped organise the procession revealed they were asked to collect the expenses from the Rupani family, not the BJP triggering public outrage and exposing deep internal fissures. During the dispute, city president repeatedly refused to comment, saying only that the matter will be taken to the high command. The silence was read as factional defensiveness, with the Rupani camp accusing the Boghra faction of sidelining them. Even during Amit Shahs recent Rajkot visit, old Rupani loyalists including Nitin Bhardwaj and Dhansukh Bhanderi were seen by his side, fuelling talk that Delhi still values the old guard. Political observers now believe B L Santoshs visit could mark the beginning of a strategic revival of this faction. Once, the Rupani group controlled key levers from the municipal corporation to organisational committees, but internal rifts had pushed them into a passive role. If they re-enter the field, insiders believe the BJP could consolidate its base ahead of local elections, especially with the Old Guard returning to action. However, Anjaliben Rupani dismissed all speculation with calm precision. There was no political discussion, she told the media. He just came for a condolence visit. It has been six months since Rupani Saheb passed away. She added And when asked whether she herself might become politically active, she answered sharply: We are party workers. We will do as the party says. Echoing her words, Rajkot BJP spokesperson Raju Dhruv clarified that the visit was purely emotional, adding: Vijaybhai was a former Chief Minister and a committed BJP worker. The party still feels his absence deeply. Santosh ji went only to console the family.
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