'I am just a worker,' says Jagdish Panchal in his first address as Gujarat BJP chief

AHMEDABAD: In a strategically timed move, Gujarat BJP has officially appointed senior leader Jagdish Panchal as its new state president, making him the 14th chief of the partys Gujarat unit. Panchal, who filed his nomination on Friday, was elected unopposed. He formally took charge at BJP Headquarter Kamalam in Gandhinagar on Saturday. The suspense surrounding Gujarat BJPs leadership ended dramatically on Saturday as Jagdish Panchal was declared the new state president. The announcement came from the partys state election committee, which also oversaw his formal assumption of charge at Kamalam. The process leading to his elevation bore the unmistakable mark of Delhis strategic planning. Panchal had filed his nomination for the post on Friday, and handed it over to election office. As no other candidate entered the fray, his unopposed selection was a foregone conclusion. While his name surprised many within the state unit, recent political movements hinted that the groundwork for Panchals rise was laid well in advance. BJPs decision to conduct a formal election something not done during the appointments of CR Patil and Jitu Vaghani underscored the partys intent to showcase internal democracy even as the outcome was pre-decided. According to insider accounts, Panchals ascent began two days before the announcement when he received an unexpected call from Delhi. Dropping all commitments, he boarded a flight to the capital and held a series of meetings with top BJP leadership, including strategists and central observers. Interestingly, his visit remained under wraps, with no social media posts or political buzz a sign of tightly controlled communication from the partys command center. Within hours of his return to Ahmedabad, BJP Headquarter began to hum with activity, confirming the leadership change was imminent. At his first public address after assuming charge on Saturday, Jagdish Panchal struck a tone of humility and dedication. The identity of the president is not me it is the worker who sits in front of me, he declared, bowing before the party cadre. He invoked the BJPs ideological lineage from Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and pledged to strengthen the philosophy of Panch Nishtha and Ekatma Manav Darshan through service-oriented politics. Panchal also paid homage to past Gujarat stalwarts including Keshubhai Patel, Vijay Rupani, and praised Former Gujarat BJP president Vajubhai Vala, Jitu Vaghani, and C.R. Patil, crediting them for transforming BJP into a banyan tree of public trust. Reaffirming faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he hailed BJP as a symbol of trust, development, and new ideas. He credited Modis governance model from the abrogation of Article 370 to economic reforms like GST for propelling India to the worlds fourth-largest economy, and vowed to continue that momentum under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patels leadership. Closing his address on a personal note, Panchal recalled his fathers words Walk thinner than water as his guiding principle in leadership. If I remove the party sash, I am just a common worker. My only identity is saffron and the lotus, he said. With Jagdish Panchals elevation, Gujarat BJP appears to have balanced political equations and infused organizational continuity, preparing the ground for upcoming local elections while reinforcing its message that the partys strength lies in its disciplined cadre and unwavering leadership chain.