Bhupendra Patel elected leader of BJP legislative party, to continue as Gujarat CM for second term

Bhupendra Patel, who will take oath on December 12, is expected to travel to New Delhi where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel (File)

Bhupendra Patel, the incumbent Chief Minister of Gujarat, was Saturday unanimously elected the leader of the legislative party at the meeting of 156 BJP MLAs held at Shree Kamalam, the party headquarters, in Gandhinagar. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa and Tribal Affairs minister Arjun Munda were the central observers at the meeting.

According to BJP office-bearers, Pardi MLA Kanu Desai formally proposed Patel’s name. Speaking to media persons after the meeting at Shree Kamalam concluded, Patel said: “Today, during the meeting of the BJP MLAs, I have once again been handed over the responsibility to lead the party. The government and the organisation will work together.”

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He said the people of Gujarat have once again “put their stamp of approval on the leadership of Narendra Modi, his politics of development and put their trust on the BJP”. Gujarat would work with Modi who wants to place the state in the league of “developed countries of the world”, Patel said. Former chief minister Vijay Rupani, his deputy Nitin Patel and former education minister Bhupendra Chudasma were also present at the meeting in Gandhinagar.

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The Chief Minister assured that the BJP would work to implement the party’s manifesto.

Patel, who will take oath on December 12 as the fifth chief minister from the BJP for the party’s consecutive seventh’s term, met Gujarat Governor Acharya Devrrat later in the day. Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil, Harsh Sanghavi, Purnesh Modi and Shankar Chaudhary were among the other leaders who met the Governor.

The swearing-in ceremony will be held at 2 pm at Helipad Ground of Sachivalaya near the Vidhan Sabha in Gandhinagar. Patel is also expected to travel to New Delhi where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and formally invite him for the swearing-in ceremony.

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