Gandhinagar: Just a day after the announcement of being newly selected as Chief Minister, first-term MLA Bhupendra Patel will be swearing the oath today, to head Gujarat ahead of the upcoming assembly polls. Two days after Vijay Rupani’s surprise exit from the post, Patel was unanimously elected as the BJP legislature party leader on Sunday, a surprise pick by the party, as the low-profile, first-time legislator was not seen to be among the top contenders for the post.
The 59-year-old Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel, the first Ahmedabadi chief minister of Gujarat, will be sworn in as the state’s 17th chief minister at 2.20 pm, and decisions regarding the new Gujarat cabinet will be taken later, revealed the Party sources. A first time MLA, it is Patel’s first entry to the cabinet, and first Kadva Patel to take the top notch in ministry.
Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat on Sunday invited Patel to take oath as chief minister and announced that through his tweet. ‘The new leader of BJP’s Legislature Party Bhupendrabhai Patel presented a proposal to form the government under his leadership. Accepting the proposal, he was invited to take oath as CM on September 13 at 2.20 pm’, the tweet said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and some other BJP Chief ministers are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony. ‘I believe that under the guidance of Narendra Modi, the state’s sustainable development will keep up its momentum’, Shah mentioned in his tweet.
Born in Ahmedabad, Patel is an MLA from the Ghatlodia constituency, previously held by former chief minister, and now Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel. He won the seat by over 1.17 lakh votes in 2017, the highest margin in that poll. With state Assembly polls scheduled in December 2022, the BJP is expecting on Bhupendra Patel, to lead the party, especially focussing on the Patidar community. In the 2017 Assembly elections, BJP grabbed 99 out of the 182 seats while Congress got 77 seats.
Patel holds a diploma in civil engineering and is a builder by profession. Patel started his political career as a corporator in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in 2008. He was the Vice-Chairman of the School Board of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation from 2008-10 and the standing committee chairman from 2010-15. He served as the chairman of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority from 2015-17. After his corporation tenancy, he served as Ahmedabad municipal councillor and as the chairperson of the Standing Committee of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority. He is also a trustee at the Patidar organisations, Sardardham and Vishwa Umiya Foundation.
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