Japan K Pathak, Gandhinagar: Former Gujarat BJP president C.R. Patil had earlier advocated the principle of “one person, one post,” asserting that individuals holding top positions in cooperative bodies should not simultaneously occupy major constitutional or political posts.

Apparently in line with this approach, Shahera MLA Jethabhai Bharwad has stepped down as Deputy Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly. Bharwad currently serves as the Chairman of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), a post he was elected to unopposed in May 2024 with the backing of the BJP. NAFED, which Bharwad now exclusively heads, is among the country’s most influential cooperative institutions, with an annual turnover exceeding ₹26,000 crore and an official net profit of nearly ₹500 crore.  Bharwad, who has recently begun using ‘Ahir’ as his surname, is also a seven-time Chairman of Panchamrut Dairy, underscoring his deep roots in the cooperative sector.

Bharwad had been holding the post of Deputy Speaker continuously for over four and a half years, having first been elected in September 2021. He was re-elected to the position in December 2022, making him a rare two-term Deputy Speaker. The Deputy Speaker’s post carries the status, protocol, perks, and facilities equivalent to that of a Minister of State.

Following the recent cabinet expansion, the party faced increasing pressure to accommodate senior MLAs aspiring for elevation. For an example, Godhra MLA C.K. Raolji was appointed Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee this month. Against this backdrop, the Gujarat BJP leadership approached Bharwad, who agreed to relinquish the Deputy Speaker’s post smoothly for his NAFED position.

With Bharwad’s exit, the BJP has opened up an opportunity to accommodate another MLA as Deputy Speaker — a position equivalent in rank to a Minister of State. The party currently has over 160 MLAs in the Gujarat Assembly, of whom 26 are part of the cabinet (including the Chief Minister), three serve as Chief Whip and Deputy Whips, and one holds the post of Speaker.

Speculation has now begun over who will be elected as the next Deputy Speaker. The upcoming budget session of the Gujarat Assembly is expected to be held around mid-February next year, while local body elections across the state are still pending. In this context, it will be politically significant to see which MLA receives elevation to the Deputy Speaker’s post. DeshGujarat