On Monday, Bhupendra Patel a first-time MLA from the Ghatlodia constituency in Gujarat will take oath as the 17th chief minister of Gujarat, replacing Vijay Rupani, who surprisingly resigned from the top post in the state, ahead of the assembly elections in 2022.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s choice of the 59-year-old as the chief minister at a legislative party meeting on Sunday came as a surprise for many as the low-profile, first-time legislator was not seen to be among the top contenders for the post. The BJP has said the selection regarding the new Gujarat cabinet will be taken later.
On Monday, at 2:20 pm, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat invited Bhupendra Patel to take oath as the new Gujarat chief minister of Gujarat. The Governor wrote in a tweet, “The newly appointed leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Legislature Party, Bhupendrabhai Patel, presented a proposal to form a new government under his leadership at the Raj Bhavan. Accepting the proposal, he was invited to take oath as the Chief Minister on September 13, 2021, at 2:20 pm.”
राजभवन में भारतीय जनता पार्टी के विधायक दल के नवनियुक्त नेता श्री भूपेंद्रभाई पटेल जी ने अपने नेतृत्व में नई सरकार गठित करने का प्रस्ताव प्रस्तुत किया। प्रस्ताव को स्वीकार कर मुख्यमंत्री पद के शपथ ग्रहण के लिए उनको 13 सितंबर, 2021को दोपहर 2:20 बजे आमंत्रित किया। pic.twitter.com/gTZrUYKRdW
— Acharya Devvrat (@ADevvrat) September 12, 2021
According to news agency ANI, on Sunday Union home minister Amit Shah is set up to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar as Gujarat CM.“I believe that under the guidance of Narendra Modi, the state’s sustainable development will keep up its momentum,” Amit Shah said on Sunday.
Bhupendra Patel is an MLA from the Ghatlodia seat. Patel is known to be close to Amit Shah as well as Anandiben Patel. Patel has won his seat by over 117,000 votes in 2017, the largest margin in that poll defeating Congress candidate Shashikant Patel. Bhupendra Patel holds a diploma in civil engineering, and also served as the chairperson of the Standing Committee of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA).
