Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel, who was elected BJP Gujarat Legislative Party leader, is likely to take oath as the chief minister of the state on Monday, the party said. According to Gujarat BJP president C.R. Patil, only the chief minister will be sworn in on Monday while the cabinet ministers will take oath in next two days.
Patel, 59, was chosen to the CM post at a meeting of BJP MLAs in Gandhinagar on Sunday afternoon, a day after Vijay Rupani stepped down from the top post in a surprise announcement that came over a year before the state goes to assembly polls.
According to reports, Patel's name was proposed by Rupani at the meeting. "Bhupendra Patel is capable. He has a very gentle personality which surely help in this development work ahead. We believe BJP will win the upcoming elections in the state under his leadership," Rupani later told mediapersons.
Patel is a first-time MLA from Ghatlodia constituency. He was considered to be a protégé of former chief minister Anandiben Patel, who resigned as chief minister in 2016. Patel belongs to Kadva Patidar, a sub caste of the Patidar community.
Having won the Ghatlodiya assembly seat by a margin of over 1.17 lakh votes, Patel held the position of standing committee chairman in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation for two terms. He was also the chairman of the much important Ahmedabad Urban Development Corporation.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President J.P. Nadda took to Twitter to congratulate Patel.
Patel’s elevation to the CM post came as a surprise announcement even as several names including that of Deputy CM Nitin Patel, state agriculture minister R.C. Faldu and Union ministers Purshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya were doing the rounds.
