Bhupendra Patel swearing-in ceremony today highlights
A day after the exit of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his cabinet, Ghatlodia MLA Bhupendra Patel was picked to be the next CM of the state. He will take oath as CM on Monday afternoon.
The decision to pick Patel was taken at the BJP legislature party meeting in Gandhinagar on Sunday. His name was proposed by Vijay Rupani, whose resignation from the post on Saturday surprised many. Most of the 112 MLAs of the party in the 182-member Assembly were present at the meeting.
Incidentally, Anandiben Patel had represented the Ghatlodia constituency before she was appointed Governor.
Speaking to the media, Bhupendra Patel expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president J P Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah while adding that the blessings of former Gujarat CM and Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel have always been with him. Patel staked claim to form the government on Sunday evening. He was invited by Governor Acharya Devavrata to take oath on Monday.
Who is Bhupendra Patel?
Bhupendra Patel, 59, is a first-time MLA from Ghatlodia. He holds a diploma in civil engineering and is considered to be close to former CM Anandiben Patel, who had won from the seat in the 2012 polls. Patel is a member of the Patidar community. He has also held the positions of president of Memnagar municipality in Ahmedabad, standing committee chairman of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority.
Engineer, corporator, MLA in 2017 to CM: Swift rise for Patidar leader Bhupendra Patel
Congress leader P Chidambaram Monday said the BJP is busy replacing its "non-performing" chief ministers but the list is long. His reaction came two days after Vijay Rupani resigned as Gujarat chief minister. Bhupendra Patel succeeded him.
"The BJP is busy replacing its non-performing Chief Ministers. When did the BJP leadership realize they were non-performing CMs," he asked on Twitter. Before Rupani in Gujarat, the BJP had replaced Lingayat stalwart B S Yediyurappa as Karnataka CM with Basavaraj S Bommai. (PTI)
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Bhupendra Patel takes charge as Gujarat Chief Minister.
Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani says, “I have conveyed my congratulations to him (Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel). I have full faith that under his leadership, the party will move forward, as will the development of the state. Gujarat will become a role model for all states.”
He adds, “In the upcoming Assembly polls, BJP will win Gujarat under the leadership of Bhupendra Patel. I will keep on working as a party worker and will follow his (Patel) instructions.” (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulates Bhupendra Patel after the swearing-in ceremony. CMs of BJP ruled states, including Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Goa CM Pramod Sawant, were also present on the occasion.
PM Narendra Modi congratulated Bhupendra Patel after he was sworn in as the Gujarat CM on Monday.
Modi tweeted, “Congratulations to Bhupendra Bhai on taking oath as CM of Gujarat. I have known him for years and have seen his exemplary work, be it in the BJP Organisation or in civic administration and community service. He will certainly enrich Gujarat’s growth trajectory.”
He added, “During his five years as CM, Vijay Rupani Ji has undertaken many people-friendly measures. He worked tirelessly for all sections of society. I am certain he will continue to contribute to public service in the times to come.”
Bhupendra Patel takes oath as the 17th Gujarat Chief Minister.
Gujarat's Chief Minister-designate Bhupendra Patel on Monday called on Vijay Rupani, who resigned from the top post last week, 15 months ahead of the state Assembly polls.
Patel, who is scheduled to take oath as the next CM, met Rupani at the latter's official residence in Gandhinagar in the morning and held discussions on various issues, a release issued by the state government said.
Before meeting Rupani, Bhupendra Patel met Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel at the latter's residence in Ahmedabad.
In the wake of incessant rains causing a flood-like situation in some parts of Jamnagar, Bhupendra Patel instructed the district authorities to make necessary arrangements to airlift about 35 people stranded in three villages, which have been inundated and cut off from other parts of the district, another government release said. (PTI)
Earlier in the day, Bhupendra Patel offered ‘gau pooja’ at Swaminarayan Temple in Ahmedabad.
Union Minister Amit Shah has landed in Ahmedabad to attend Bhupendra Patel's swearing-in ceremony.
Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony today, outgoing Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel tells ANI: 'Bhupendra Patel is my old family friend. I congratulated him. We will be happy to see him take oath as CM. He has also asked for my guidance whenever needed.
'I'm not upset. I've been working in the BJP since I was 18, and will keep on working. Whether I get a position in the party or not, I will continue serving the party,' he adds.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Monday will attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Bommai will fly to Ahmedabad for the ceremony after attending his first Assembly session as Chief Minister. Like first-time MLA Patel, Bommai is also considered a surprise pick, considering his proximity to former chief minister and BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa. Read more here
Vijay Rupani's exit, in circumstances that are strikingly similar to his elevation to chief ministerial office in 2016, speaks of a larger trend in the BJP. The party has visibly downsized the office of the chief minister in states where it runs the government — even assembly elections are fought in the name of the prime minister. The presidential mode of campaign in the general election, which has coincided with the rise of Narendra Modi in national politics in 2014, has percolated down to assembly elections.
Gujarat, where Modi has also been the chief minister, is the best example of this trend: Votes are sought for Modi in elections at all levels — Rupani and the new CM, Bhupendra Patel, were not prominent in state politics until their elevation to the state’s top office. Read more here
Bhupendra Patel is a first-time MLA from Ghatlodia, the Assembly constituency vacated by former chief minister Anandiben Patel after she was appointed Madhya Pradesh Governor. In the 2017 Assembly elections, Patel defeated Congress candidate Shashikant Patel by over one lakh votes, considered to be the highest winning margin.
Patel, under whose leadership the 2022 assembly elections will be fought, contested his first major election in 2010 as corporator from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). There too, he had a swift rise to the top post — he became standing committee chairperson in the AMC in his first stint as corporator. Ritu Sharma writes
Bhupendra Patel will take oath as Gujarat Chief Minister on Monday. Patel, who represents Ahmedabad’s Ghatlodia constituency, will be sworn in this afternoon at Raj Bhavan. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the swearing-in ceremony, along with a host of other political leaders.