Modi had raised this very pitch in 2002 where every word spoken or written against him was successfully spun as an insult to the pride of the people of the state.

The state will see an election this time around where the ruling BJP's pre-eminence will be challenged. The entry of AAP will only complicate what could have been a straight fight between the BJP and Congress.

Those on the warpath with the government include farmers, cattle-rearers, tribal people, doctors, teachers, forest department staff, ASHA workers, frontline health workers, ex-Army personnel, mid-day meal staff, all government contract workers and several others.

The Patidar leader's departure will hurt the Congress ahead of assembly elections later this year. But the BJP can also defang him, like it did with Alpesh Thakor earlier.

'Today’s centralised policies are pushing the marginalised communities further to the margins, squeezing all options for the poor but to take to the streets.'

Since 1995, when the BJP came to power in Gujarat, its victories in the state have been a foregone conclusion.

Modi has picked a Patidar who is a first-time MLA, has never been a minister, has a clean slate and a fresh face.

The state government says 4,218 people died of Covid in the period March 1-May 10, 2021. But it issued 1,23,871 death certificates in these 71 days – which was 65,781 more than it had for the same period in 2020. Most of these excess deaths are clearly Covid related.

The malaise in the Congress in Gujarat runs deep, and is visible from how the party micro-manages its state leadership.

The government’s daily bulletin of novel coronavirus statistics provides a death tally that appears to be considerably lower than the numbers observed at several crematoria in the state.

Here’s a hint: Amit Shah’s protégé Jitu Vaghani did less for the party in Gujarat than Modi’s man, Paatil.

Nitin Patel is back in the Gujarat cabinet with the finance portfolio. But the episode has shown that BJP chief ministers have no powers of their own.

Narendra Modi's absence in the state could prove be a handicap for the BJP.

Some of Hardik Patel's close allies are quitting his organisation, but that is no solace for the BJP

In many ways, the situation facing the BJP in Gujarat today mirrors the crisis of 2001-2002. And this time around, there is no Godhra to give the party a boost.