Rajkot BJP power play ends with surprise pick Nehal Shukla as mayor

Rajkot: Nearly a month after the Rajkot Municipal Corporation election results, the BJP’s announcement of key civic office-bearers on Thursday was marked by intense lobbying, last-minute consultations and internal political manoeuvring, culminating in the surprise elevation of Nehal Shukla as Rajkot’s new mayor.

Considered close to the political camp of former chief minister late Vijay Rupani, Shukla’s rise capped a dramatic political journey that began even before the civic polls.

In a striking twist, Shukla was not among the BJP’s original candidates for the April RMC elections. The party had initially fielded Sahilesh Jani from Ward No. 7, but altered its decision just before nomination filing and handed the ticket to Shukla — a move that, party insiders say, had raised eyebrows at the time.

His selection as mayor, sources indicated, was no less unexpected.

The BJP was scheduled to finalise its civic leadership during a meeting at 10am in the presence of the city BJP president, senior leaders and MLAs. But the process ran into turbulence after the alleged circulation of prospective names ahead of the formal announcement sparked discontent among aspirants.

According to party sources, contenders for influential posts rushed to establish contact with senior BJP leaders in Gandhinagar to strengthen their claims. Amid the mounting pressure, city leaders and senior functionaries briefly stepped out of the meeting to consult the party leadership in the state capital.

After nearly an hour of closed-door deliberations and political fine-tuning, the leadership formula was sealed.

Apart from Shukla as mayor, Daksha Vasani was named deputy mayor, while Paresh Pipaliya was appointed chairman of the standing committee.

Shukla, a Brahmin face in the party, is the son of veteran BJP leader late Chimanbhai Shukla and is widely seen as being aligned with the late Rupani’s political network.

In a symbolic gesture soon after his appointment, Shukla visited Rupani’s residence, paid homage to the former chief minister and sought blessings from Rupani’s wife, Anjali, before formally beginning his mayoral tenure.

Addressing reporters, the new mayor said his priority would be to meet public expectations from the BJP administration in Rajkot.

Signalling an emphasis on austerity, Shukla announced an ambitious plan to cut Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s vehicle expenditure by 70%.

“In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal, I have resolved to reduce vehicle expenses by 70%. This is not merely an announcement — we are convening a meeting today itself to begin concrete action,” he said