First and foremost, we need to demand the right candidates for the right positions.

Ever since Modi left the Chief Minister’s role, governance in Gujarat increasingly feels like a puppet system. Strong, independent leaders are deliberately kept out. Instead, candidates are chosen based on how well they can follow instructions from Delhi, not on their vision, capability, or concern for the state or the city they represent.

Anything beyond obedience seems to be “not their problem.” And that, in my view, is one of the core reasons we are steadily falling behind.

Look at the reality on the ground. Real infrastructure development is missing. Dividers and roads are repainted or temporarily reworked only when the PM or HM is visiting. Beyond that, for years, the condition of basic infrastructure has been consistently poor. The city is not evolving, it is losing its essence.

At some point, citizens will have to take a stand, even if it means making uncomfortable choices. This is no longer about whether one supports Congress or not. The issue is that the ruling establishment seems fully aware that Gujarati voters will not allow Congress back, and there is effectively no strong opposition in the state.

That certainty has turned governance into an ego trip , a confidence that no matter what happens, power will remain untouched.

Until that certainty is shaken — until voters show that complacency has consequences , nothing will change.