Ahmadabad: First-time MLA Bhupendra Patel will be the successor of Vijay Rupani, who had put a surprise resignation as the Chief Minister of Gujarat two days ago. Patel, who is said to have been unanimously elected as the BJP legislative party leader, will take oath as Gujarat's 17th Chief Minister at 2.20 pm today.
While he was elected the leader of the legislature party after a meeting, it is believed that he was the choice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah.
The BJP has said the decision regarding the new Gujarat cabinet will be taken later.
According to news agency ANI, Union home minister Amit Shah is scheduled 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 tweeted on Sunday.
Unanimously elected as the BJP legislature party leader, Bhupendra Patel, a first-time MLA, is known as a soft-spoken worker of the party who has made his way up in the state politics from the municipality level.
Born in Ahmedabad, Patel is an MLA from the Ghatlodia seat, previously held by the former chief minister and now Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel. Patel is known to be close to Amit Shah as well as Anandiben Patel. Patel won his seat by over 117,000 votes in 2017, the largest margin in that poll defeating Congress candidate Shashikant Patel. Ghatlodia is part of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat represented by Amit Shah.
His name was floated by outgoing CM Vijay Rupani himself.
Vijay Rupani stepped down on Saturday -- 15 months ahead of the state elections -- in a surprise move amid whispers that his handling of the second wave of Covid and his style of functioning had upset the Central leadership.
Mr Rupani was the fourth Chief Minister to be replaced in the BJP ruled states so far this year.