The farmer's daughter showed dedication in running her departments efficiently, besides managing the show in Modi's near-total absence from Gujarat.
Patel has earned laurels for unprecedented enrolment in schools, comprehensive land surveys and digitization of all land records.
In the corridors of power in Gujarat, most fear the soft-spoken 'Ben' (Anandi-Ben) as an alter ego to the stern 'Bhai' (Narendra Bhai) Modi and consider her as probably the most capable to take over the reins of the state administration after Modi's meteoric rise in national politics.