Union Jal Shakti Minister Chandrakant Raghunath Patil, 70, recently stepped down as the Gujarat BJP president after completing a successful stint lasting for more than five years, including over two years on extension. The high point of Patil’s innings marked by several firsts was the 2022 Assembly elections which saw the party returning to power by winning 156 of 182 seats — the largest-ever majority in the state’s history. In an interview with The Indian Express , Patil speaks on various aspects of his tenure and future plans. Excerpts :

* What were the challenges when you took charge of the Gujarat BJP?

When I was appointed the party president on July 20, 2020, we had 99 Assembly seats, five district panchayats… Karyakarta ka morale down tha (party workers’ morale was low)… So

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