It must give Patel some sense of satisfaction that his intention of bringing change in not only government but governance is now the cornerstone of BJP's fresh initiative. Patel had won the February elections on this theme and encouraged by it has set up a Parivartan cell headed by bureaucrat Sanjay Gupta.

The venue of the national executive meeting was also named Parivartan Nagar in furtherance of the new theme song. At the outset, Venkaiah Naidu had laid it out that ``the thrust of the conference is Parivartan''.

In Delhi last month, Advani had given it national perspective in his speech when he claimed the BJP will have to behave more like a ruling party accommodating the wishes of every section of the society. Dissidents on the other hand may be seeking another kind of Parivartan in Gujarat.

Under Narendra Modi, who is believed to be maneuvering to position himself as an alternative to Patel, they have already marked their stance. A whisper campaign is already on that Patel may be on his way out and may be replaced by either Anandiben Patel, Ashok Bhatt or Suresh Mehta. The reasons given primarily centre around the fact that the chief minister is ill and cannot perform his duties.

Patel has been on the wheel-chair for the past two months, recovering from a hip fracture. There has been speculation that this may be more serious than it appears, maybe even bone cancer. Patel's coterie points out that over the past eight days he has progressed from the wheel chair to walker to a walking stick and would soon be on his feet.

Observers believe there could be a smart move by Modi to position himself correctly if at all instability results. None of the prospective candidates stand a chance, especially Anandiben Patel, who has been promoted by Modi himself. Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala's name is significantly absent from the list of probables.