ગુજરાતી
English
No Police Complaint Filed Against Anandiben
Despite Intimidation, She Lost the Local Elections
Despite Removing Voters’ Names from Rolls, She Suffered Defeat
Dilip Patel
Ahmedabad, April 23, 2026
The question of why Modi removed Anandiben Patel—Gujarat’s first female Chief Minister—in 2016 is being asked repeatedly today. At a time when politics is being played in the name of the Women’s Reservation Bill, it is noteworthy that Anandiben Patel was ousted following a crushing defeat in the 2016 local body elections. Amit Shah arrived in Ahmedabad and orchestrated the entire operation from her residence in Thaltej.
Witnessing her defeat in the local body elections, Anandiben publicly displayed her power by brandishing a sword. She courted controversy by openly displaying a weapon. The display of weapons is prohibited during elections; if such an act is committed, a police complaint—an FIR—is typically registered against the offender.
The Election Commission conducted an inquiry into Anandiben Patel’s actions but ultimately failed to register a formal complaint, and the State Election Commission effectively betrayed the voters.
That controversy lingered for a considerable period.
Although Anandiben Patel was a successful politician in her own right, she served primarily as a political instrument for Narendra Modi. Anandiben Patel was, in essence, a double-edged sword. She met with defeat relatively quickly; in the 2016 local elections, her party lost a significant number of seats. The atmosphere prevailing during Anandiben’s tenure—characterized by public discontent and opposition—mirrors the sentiment currently directed against the BJP today. Should the party lose the upcoming elections, it will not take long for Bhupendra Patel to lose his seat as Chief Minister, just as Anandiben did.
Anandiben had stirred up a major controversy by making a high-profile public display of herself and by orchestrating the removal of voters’ names from the electoral rolls. In Ahmedabad alone, 125,000 votes were effectively disenfranchised. Just as the Election Commission of India (ECI) has recently misled 10 million voters in Gujarat—resulting in the loss of 7.2 million votes—during Bhupendra Patel’s administration, Anandiben Patel, too, ultimately lost her grip on power despite resorting to similar tactics. Weapon Worship
In October 2015, Chief Minister Anandiben Patel performed ‘Shastra Puja’ (weapon worship) on the occasion of Dussehra. She applied a ’tilak’ to various weapons and automatic rifles. She tweeted, “On this auspicious day, let us pray that good always triumphs over evil.”
Ten years prior—within a span of six months during local body elections—she had become embroiled in a controversy regarding the possession of weapons. A police complaint should have been registered against her; however, she managed to escape prosecution.
During the local body elections, Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel served as a ‘star campaigner.’ During an election rally in Viramgam, Anandiben brandished a sword—an act that constitutes an electoral offense.
On April 23, 2016, she once again became entangled in a controversy regarding the display of weapons during an election campaign.
A star campaigner displaying a weapon at an election rally constitutes a violation of the Election Code of Conduct and is a criminal offense.
On November 27, 2015, activist Roshan Shah petitioned the State Election Commission, demanding that an FIR be registered against Anandiben Patel in connection with this matter.
Pursuant to ECI Reference No. 464-INST-2014-EPS, it was deemed mandatory that criminal action be initiated in this case.
The filing of an FIR is mandatory.
Journalists also reported that the State Election Commissioner had issued orders to take action regarding the ‘sword incident.’ The investigation report pertaining to this matter was subsequently submitted to the Commission.
However, the Commission declined to provide details to Roshan Shah, citing that the investigation was still ongoing.
The Commission refused to disclose the requested details.
These details included: copies of the investigation report, copies of official correspondence, evidentiary material, recorded statements, a date-wise chronology of events,
photographs, video footage, data stored on CDs, the investigation case number, the latest status of the investigation, specific details regarding the inquiry, and the names of the officers—including the Collector, the Returning Officer, and the Police Officers—involved in the case.
These details ought to be uploaded onto the Commission’s official website. Refer to the code “WEAPON IN ELECTION RALLY BY STAR CAMPAIGNER.”
Roshan Shah, a resident of New Rani, was not provided with the requested details until 2026.
**The ‘Ben Army’**
In 2016, a post defending Anandiben portrayed her as a “One Ben Army.” Rajika Kachheria revealed that Anandiben’s office had instructed the BJP IT Cell to disseminate such propaganda.
The hashtag #OneBenArmy was used in the post.
**Amit Shah’s Army**
Amidst the political attacks aimed at ousting Anandiben, this appeared to be an attempt to counter these political adversaries. Anandiben’s supporters felt that she was fighting this battle alone.
After Chief Minister Anandiben Patel was publicly humiliated by BJP members, a group of her supporters suddenly mobilized on social media platforms—such as WhatsApp and Facebook—to come to her defense.
The official Facebook page of the State BJP featured a detailed post titled, “11 Things People Don’t Tell You About the Anandiben Government.”
Anandiben Patel resigned from the post of Chief Minister of Gujarat on August 3, 2016.
A group associated with Amit Shah openly opposed the removal of Gujarat’s first female Chief Minister. This opposition included leveling allegations of corruption against the owners of various newspapers and TV channels.
**The Cause of the Downfall in Viramgam**
Significantly, there were youths in Viramgam who drew swords—an act that ultimately contributed to the downfall of her government. Protests had erupted during Anandiben’s public meeting in Viramgam. A case was subsequently registered against the father of a local leader following an incident involving celebratory firing into the air during the wedding of the leader’s relatives.
It appeared as though “Kumbhakarna” had been stockpiling weapons for six months. Anandiben’s tenure was marked by controversies, such as the instance involving the checking of her daughters’ mobile phones.
The “weapons” proved ineffective, and the result was defeat.
While the BJP secured power in six municipal corporations, out of a total of 558 seats, the party managed to win only 271. Out of a total of 988 District Panchayat seats, the BJP faced defeat despite winning 292 seats.
Out of a total of 4,778 Taluka Panchayat seats, the BJP won 1,718 seats.
Out of a total of 2,088 Municipality seats…
Out of the total seats, the BJP won only 984.
Modi decided to elevate Anandiben.
And Amit Shah executed the operation.
Age (75 years) and corruption were merely pretexts; the real reason was the defeat the BJP had suffered.
Will history repeat itself this time, 10 years later? Will Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel have to step down, or will he remain in office? (Google Translation from Gujarati)
