Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Monday submitted her resignation to state Governor seeking relief from her post in the state. Patel, who took charge as Gujarat’s first woman Chief Minister, posted a letter on her Facebook page. She said that she had two months earlier sought to resign from the party to give “enough time to the new incumbent to prepare for important events like the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat summit”. READ | Anandiben Patel resigns as Gujarat chief minister She said on the post, “Today once again I have sent a letter to the top brass of the party requesting I be allowed to step down as chief minister." Under the leadership of Patel, who has been a minister in the BJP government since 1998 and CM from 2014, the BJP for the first time in the post-Narendra Modi era in Gujarat is facing a tough challenge from its opponents. Patel, who will turn 75 on November 21, also said the BJP needed a fresh face in the state before the elections due next year. READ | AAP’s popularity in Gujarat forced Anandiben Patel to quit, says Arvind Kejriwal "For the last some time there has been a tradition in the party that those who attain the age of 75, voluntarily retires from the post. I will attain the age of 75 in November," the state's first woman chief minister, who succeeded Narendra Modi on May 22, 2014, said in a Facebook post. READ | FB resignation buttons or Snapchat next? Twitterati take a dig at Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel’s Facebook resignation "Two months ago I had requested the party to relieve me from the post and today also through this letter, I request the party to relieve me of the post," Patel said. "I am asking the party to relieve me two months in advance as the new chief minister will require the time to work, when the state is going to face elections in 2017 and an important event like Vibrant Gujarat Summit to be held in January," Patel said. WATCH | Anandiben Patel Resigns As Gujarat Chief Minister The news came as a surprise to many and people took to Twitter to react on the resignation: CM of Gujarat resigns on Facebook. Resignation accepted on Facebook ( with a LIKE, I presume). Bizarre marketing of #DigitalIndia. :-) — Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) August 1, 2016 People of Gujarat has already made up their mind to throw out BJP. Sacking of Anandiben Patel isn't gonna help.#BJPScaredOfAAPinGuj — Join AAP (@JoinAAP) August 1, 2016 आनंदी जी का इस्तीफ़ा गुजरात में "आप" की तेज़ी से बढ़ती लोकप्रियता का नतीजा है। भाजपा गुजरात में बुरी तरह से डरी हुई — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 1, 2016 A CM posts her political intent to quit on Facebook.Anandiben Patel does not know Modi Ji 's or Amit Shah's phone number? #InternalDemocracy — Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) August 1, 2016 Anandiben Patel resigns as CM of #Gujarat. Says she is obliged to have been trusted with great responsibility in the state by her party. — Shraddha (@ShraddhaDG) August 1, 2016 Gujarat CM Anandiben patel to quit. That student on whom engineering is imposed by parents. — Vivek (@Vivekizm) August 1, 2016 The curse of chief minister's office hits Gujarat BJP. No BJP CM, except Modi, has lasted a full five year term. #anandibenpatel — Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) August 1, 2016 Too late. Too much damage done to party Modi had firmly kept RSS/VHP at bay in Gujarat. She let them ruin it — Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) August 1, 2016 MODI is scared.He knows He is losing in his home turf/AAP is gaining massively in Gujarat.Anandi Ben is not resigning,she is to be Sacked. — ashutosh (@ashutosh83B) August 1, 2016 Anandi Patel's resignation is first vistory of AAP in Gujarat. — Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishraAAP) August 1, 2016 As CM Gujarat he had an opinion on every National Issue and always critical of UPA now totally silent ! Either Silence or U Turn! — digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) August 1, 2016 Anandiben Patel's resignation is a clear sign that #BJP Is trying to save itself from current hurdles in Gujarat — Bakash ادوني (@BakashShona) August 1, 2016 BJP is totally Anti-woman party First they kick out Irani from HRD now, they are kicking out Anandiben Patel.#अबकी_बार_नारीपर_अत्याचार — भयंकर लोग (@BhayankarLog) August 1, 2016 Senior BJP leaders initiated a great tradition of voluntary retirement after they turn 75,which also paves way for next gen: Anandiben Patel — Vihaan Singh (@VihaanSingh20) August 1, 2016 In the post she suggests that the move is driven by the fact that she was almost 75 years old, the age at which PM Modi expects ministers to retire.
