Bhupendra Patel new Gujarat CM, to take oath on September 13
Bhupendra Patel, the man known for his gentle personality and a protégé of former Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, is set to replace Vijay Rupani as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
"Bhupendra Patel is capable. He has a very gentle personality, which surely help in this development work ahead. We believe the BJP will win the upcoming elections in the state under his leadership," Rupani told mediapersons soon after Patel was elected as the new Chief Minister of Gujarat in the BJP Legislative Party meeting held on Sunday.
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Bhupendra Patel will take oath as the new Chief Minister of Gujarat on Monday, BJP chief CR Patil said.
Bhupendra Patel is MLA from Ghatlodia seat, which was previously held by Anandiben Patel, who is currently serving as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, with an additional charge of Madhya Pradesh.
Patel, a first-time MLA, had won his seat by a margin of 1,17,000 votes in 2017, the largest margin in that poll defeating Congress candidate Shashikant Patel.
He has served as the chairman of the Standing Committee of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and had also chaired the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA). Patel has also served as municipal councillor in Ahmedabad.
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With the Assembly elections in the state scheduled to take place in 2022, the BJP went with Patel, a Patidar face for the Chief Minister. In Gujarat, the Patidars are a dominant caste with a sizeable control over the electoral votes. The community also dominates the political economy with a strong hold over education, realty and cooperative sectors.
This comes a day after Vijay Rupani submitted his resignation. Rupani took charge as the Chief Minister of Gujarat on August 7, 2016. He currently represents Gujarat's Rajkot West as MLA.
-PTC News
