Gandhinagar: Jagdishbhai Ishwarbhai Panchal who also uses his surname as Vishwakarma instead of Panchal often is new Gujarat State unit president of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Panchal filed his nomination at 12.39 pm in Vijay Mahurat. As no other candidate filed nomination for the post of the State President, Panchal who hails from Other Backward Class (OBC) is elected unopposed as new State party chief. With his selection for the post, party’s central leadership has continued to make a balance between Patel and OBC segments, as per which, when the Chief Minister is Patel, the State party chief is mostly OBC, and vice versa.

Panchal is the Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Nikol constituency on eastern end of Ahmedabad city. Born on 12th August 1973 in Ahmedabad, Panchal had been the President of Ahmedabad city unit of BJP in the past. He had also been Coordinator of BJP Gujarat’s Industry cell in 2013. According to BJP release, he “started his political career at Booth Incharge in Thakkarbapanagar area in 1998”.

He is currently Minister of State for Co-operation, Salt Industries, Printing and Stationary, Protocol (All Independent Charges), Micro, Small and Medium Industries, Cottage, Khadi and Rural Industries and Civil Aviation. Earlier during September 2021 to December 2022, he was Minister of State for Forests and Environment, Climate Change, Road and Building, Salt Industry, Printing and Stationary and Protocol departments.

Born on 12th August 1973 at Ahmedabad, he is elected from 46- Nikol constituency of Ahmedabad city of Gujarat Legislative Assembly. Panchal is three-term MLA. He was MLA in 2012-2017, and 2017-2022 assemblies as well. He is considered close to union Home and Cooperation Minister and Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat representative Amit Shah. He is the Member of Executive Committee of Shri Dhandhar Panchal Seva Samaj, Ahmedabad. He is also General Secretary of Vishvakarma Panchal Luhar Suthar Mahamandal, Gujarat State. He is married to Alkaben and has one child(son).

Panchal is undergraduate by education. He passed second year Bachelor of Arts and later also did certificate course of Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing domain. He is associated with profession of Textile machineries along with his brother Dipakkumar and Haresh Ishwarlal Panchal. Jagdish Panchal is director of Rabatex Industries Private Limited, JRK Infrastructure Private Limited and Meche Industrial Organization Private Limited. In the past he was also Director of Las-Tronics Technology Private Limited. As per his election affidavit in 2022, Panchal and his wife had over Rs. 20 crore properties and around Rs. 9 crore cash, deposits and investments. His hobbies as mentioned in his profile are are reading, swimming, badminton and social services. He has travelled to Japan, Germany, Latvia, Dubai, Singapore and Thailand.

As a new State party chief, Jagdish Panchal will succeed outgoing State party chief CR Patil. Panchal is expected to head the party during upcoming local polls, in which majority of civic bodies and panchayat bodies will go for elections. The upcoming general election of State assembly will also take place in December 2027 under his leadership as party chief. Ever since, CR Patil became union minister in the Centre, the State party affairs was handled by General Secretary (Organization) Ratnakar Pandey who is RSS Pracharak. He was assisted by other General Secretary Rajnibhai Patel.  DeshGujarat