In a surprise move, Bhupendrabhai Patel was on Sunday elected as the new chief minister of Gujarat. The crucial decision was taken at a meeting of BJP leaders in Gandhinagar.
Ahamadabad, Gujarat, September 12 : In a surprise move, Bhupendrabhai Patel was on Sunday elected as the new chief minister of Gujarat. The crucial decision was taken at a meeting of BJP leaders in Gandhinagar. Patel won the 2017 Gujarat Legislative Assembly elections from Ghatlodia constituency, defeating Congress candidate Shashikant Patel.
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Patel will succeed Vijay Rupani, who resigned from his post on Saturday, in a sudden announcement almost a year before the state goes to polls. He is now likely to meet the governor and stake claim to form the government.
BJP had appointed Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Prahlad Joshi as central observers for the legislature party meeting to elect the new chief minister. Tomar met state BJP chief C R Paatil on Sunday morning.
Rupani (65), the fourth chief minister to demit office in BJP-ruled states during the coronavirus pandemic, was sworn in as chief minister – his second stint as CM – in December 2017. He first became the chief minister on August 7, 2016, following the resignation of incumbent Anandiben Patel, and continued in the office after the BJP’s victory in the 2017 Assembly elections.
WHO IS BHUPENDRABHAI PATEL
Bhupendrabhai Patel is known to be a protege of former chief minister Anandiben Patel.
He is a first-time MLA from Ghatlodia seat, which was earlier held by Anandiben Patel.
Earlier, Bhupendrabhai Patel served as a municipal councillor in Ahmedabad. He has served as the chairman of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) and used to head the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation standing committee.
