Why Anandiben Patel has been appointed governor of Madhya Pradesh

Former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel’s appointment as Madhya Pradesh governor — being seen through the prism of the somewhat strained Narendra Modi-Shivraj Singh Chouhan relationship — is generating greater interest than a regular gubernatorial appointment in the state.

The media in Madhya Pradesh is reading a lot into Patel’s appointment as governor. That Anandiben Patel will be an assertive governor was evident in the manner she reacted to her appointment. She left Gujarat on January 22, in a chartered bus, along with her family and visited the Mahakal temple in Ujjain before reaching the state capital. She could have easily requisitioned the state government’s aircraft to reach Bhopal but she chose a bus. A few hours after her oath, she visited an aanganwadi centre in Bhopal, a juvenile correctional facility and a temple. The next day she visited gaushalas near Bhopal.

Prior to Patel’s appointment, MP did not have a full-time governor, with the charge being held by Gujarat governor OP Kohli. The last full-time governor, the late Ram Naresh Yadav’s name has cropped up in the Vyapam scam. He was also suffering from age-related disorders that prevented him from discharging his duties successfully.

In other words, MP has not had an "active" governor for many years — an incumbent who exercises the full spectrum of powers of the office as provided under the Constitution. Anandiben’s active role right from day one suggests she will not be a mere rubber stamp.

Political watchers in Bhopal, however, suggest that in case Modi needed to send a governor who would keep an eye on the MP CM, he would have sent someone politically more adept at such tasks, and not Anandiben. The gubernatorial assignment is a rehabilitation plan for Anandiben after she was made to resign as Gujarat CM.

Her appointment is also being seen as a measure to placate the Patidar community in MP that has been upset after the Mandsaur police firing in June when six farmers from the community were killed. Also, PM Modi has come to accept CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the best bet for the BJP in MP, at least till the 2018 assembly elections. If the BJP wins in 2018, the CM is bound to lead the party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections too.

Whether or not she is the eyes and ears of Narendra Modi, Anandiben will definitely emerge as an alternate power centre in Bhopal. The media is hopeful that she may force the government to act on issues the government usually shies away from, and that the governor’s office will be a forum where grievances against the government will be reported.

(Courtesy of Mail Today.)

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