Normally the electoral affairs in Gujarat ought to have been left to dispensation by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who knew the state and its people like a back of his hand. He had successful run of the state administration for more than 12 years. His achievements may have been products of better marketing techniques only but the main opposition has not been able to debunk the claims.

He had taken over the responsibility of winning over the state with increased frequency of his visits to the state. In first forty months of his regime at the Centre, he had visited the state for only four times. In the last month he has, however, paid long visits four times to be associated with launching of new schemes including release of the Narmada Dam waters through canals. All schemes launched in his presence were aimed at providing benefits of development to the deprived classes and not a single project aid at providing direct benefits to the middle class was in his itinerary.

May be the top wing was alarmed as it noted that he was radically shifting the vote base from the traditional middle class to the deprived class. He had done in Uttar Pradesh to win unprecedented numbers of 325 in the state assembly with total strength of 403. Even on the eve of the voting the BJP leadership was not confident of winning even second position in the state assembly. Most surveys had also presented a pessimistic picture. Everyone was stunned by the unprecedented victory as Narendra Modi was able to make inroads in the fortress of the OBC consolidation with the Muslims support built by Mulayam Singh over the last three decades. He had also breached the Muslim citadels and the Dalit minds. The BJP leadership was pessimistic only because the upper castes had antagonistic reaction over the demonetization that had affected their life and their money.

Uttar Pradesh is politically more conscious and sensitive population. Demonetization and other schemes of economic nature had little impact. However, Gujarat has a different ethos and every caste is affected by the economic issues. It was easier to adopt a pretext that he may have a need of helping hand, but he should have been taken in confidence for rushing others to the state. The clashing dates of campaign between him and chief ministers were indicative of that there was no coordination. Intent was obviously not to allow him to get away with another success. The chief ministers were rushed to claim later that their presence contributed to victory.

Events connected with the Gujarat assembly polls are merely symptoms of the internal struggle. It has been on since the Prime Minister Narendra Modi converted the union cabinet character from all equals with one standing to only one supreme decision maker and all others merely courtiers. In the last forty months no union minister has been heard in public to give vent to his or her dissent or air grievances at functioning. Bureaucrats have ascendency over the political entities. It gives an impression that he was not amenable to demands for the implementation of the original BJP core as his silence over demands on that score becomes significant as rejection.

The Prime Minister also has a reason to feel discontent as he was forced to give up his drive for the rapid economic development and withdraw from his efforts to normalize relations with Pakistan to ensure peace in the sub continent that would assure the Muslim sections. In fact his government has been brought under constant strain with escalation of intolerant attitudes in virtually every field. The Muslims as well as the Dalits have been victims of upper caste intolerance. He issued though without much effect a warning that atrocities with humans in the name of cow protection was not tolerable for his government.

His two steps, demonetization and introduction of the GST scheme are being painted as major mistakes. The demonetization may have slowed down the development pace in economic terms but he has reaped best political dividends as unprecedented victory in Uttar Pradesh suggests. He is now desperate to disown responsibility for it as his calculation has gone awry with serious impact on all sections and price escalations that followed.

His style of governance has caused many heart burns in the ruling camp though it remains unexpressed. However many actions reflect it. The party is not participant in his road shows that project him alone as if he was above the party. The party big wigs also noted that even in public he refuses to recognize major political entities. Except the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar he does not share the platform with the BJP bigwigs. At the BJP cadre rally in Gujarat on Monday, October 16, the chief minister was not visible as a personality sharing the platform with the Prime Minister.

The keen competition is now to deny the credit for the Gujarat results entirely to the Prime Minister as he converted the battle as him versus the rest. The other side has introduced the party back into the battle. The qualitative difference in his choice of words and ideas expounded in his public utterances in first eighteen months and later period clearly indicate that he is a disturbed mind on reading of events around. He had expounded in convincing manners great but unconventional ideas before. He has been reduced to defending his performance in the later period though he indicated he would not give up his priorities. That suggests he has prepared himself for upcoming internal struggle.