Anandiben aide Bhupendra Patel is Gujarat Chief Minister

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 12

Patidar leader and Ghatlodiya MLA Bhupendra Patel is all set to be the new chief minister of Gujarat after BJP legislative party on Sunday elected him the CLP leader in the presence of central observers of the party.

Patel’s name was proposed by outgoing CM Vijay Rupani.

Agriculture minister and central observer of BJP for Gujarat Narendra Singh Tomar declared Bhupendra Patel elected, saying, “There is no parallel proposal. The proposal to elect Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel the CLP leader is approved. I declare him elected.”

Bhupendra Patel met Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat at Raj Bhavan and staked claim to form government, an official said. Patel will be sworn in as Gujarat chief minister on Monday.

Election of Patel (59), an MLA from Ghatlodia in Ahmedabad, also signals the clout of Anandiben Patel in state politics as the new CM belongs to her camp.

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— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 12, 2021

Gujarat BJP sources said Anandiben Patel has finally had her way after she resigned as CM in August 2016 and Amit Shah prevailed to get Vijay Rupani elected as her replacement.

The tables were turned today.

Bhupendra Patel had contested Anandiben’s seat Ghatlodia in 2017 elections.

Bhupendra Patel previously served as chairman of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (2015 to 2017) and a former two times municipal councillor in Ahmedabad.

Patel’s election defied expectations along the lines of the election of Pushkar Singh Dhami as the CM in Uttarakhand.

Bhupendra Patel is trustee of Sardardham in Ahmedabad.

Only yesterday Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated Sardardham Bhavan to the people hailing the enterprise of Patidars.

The Bhavan has been established by a collective of Patidar organisations.

With Patel’s election the BJP also seeks to placate the prominent Patidar community which was disenchanted with the party in 2017 elections causing its lowest ever score of 99 seats since the BJP took power in 1995.

The BJP hopes to win big in 2022.

“Energetic leadership has been ensured. The party has by consensus elected Bhupendra Patel ji who has huge administrative experience,” BJP in-charge of Gujarat, Bhupendra Yadav said.

Sources said the CM will have a new team, with possibilities of two deputy chief ministers not being ruled out.

Tomar earlier described Patel as “simple, self effacing leader with tremendous experience of administration”.

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