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Tag: Bhupendra Patel

  • Gujarat: New cabinet ministers to take oath in two days, says BJP

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: A day after Bhupendra Patel took over as Gujarat chief minister, BJP sources indicated that the swearing-in of more ministers is likely in the next two days. Only Patel (59) had taken oath on Monday after the sudden resignation of Vijay Rupani on Saturday.

    “Discussions are going on and the swearing-in will take place either Wednesday or Thursday,” Gujarat BJP spokesperson Yamal Vyas told PTI on Tuesday. As per the procedure, the names of ministers will be declared when they take the oath, he said.

    There is speculation in BJP circles on whether Nitin Patel, deputy CM in the Rupani-led ministry, is retained in the new cabinet. There is also talk on the chances of Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, RC Faldu and Kaushik Patel, senior ministers in the Rupani cabinet, being retained.

    ALSO READ| New Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel takes stock of floods on day 1 in office

    Party sources said efforts will be made to accommodate senior leaders in the cabinet as far as possible. Union Home Minister Amit Shah met Patel and state BJP president CR Paatil Monday night before leaving for New Delhi, party sources said.

    Cabinet formation was likely discussed, they added. Patel was unanimously elected BJP legislature party leader on Sunday and was sworn in as the state’s 17th chief minister by Governor Acharya Devvrat in Gandhinagar on Monday.

    Shah was present in the oath-taking ceremony. Patel’s elevation to the coveted post is being attributed to his closeness to former Gujarat chief minister and current Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel. Rupani, the fourth chief minister to demit office in BJP-ruled states during the coronavirus pandemic, completed five years in office on August 7 this year.

    With state Assembly polls scheduled in December 2022, the BJP is banking on Patel, a Patidar, for poll victory. In the 2017 Assembly elections, BJP won 99 of the 182 seats and Congress got 77.

  • New Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel takes stock of floods on day 1 in office

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: Bhupendra Patel hit the ground running by holding a high-level meeting to review the flood situation in the state shortly after swearing in as the 17th chief minister of Gujarat on Monday. He was administered the oath of office by Governor Acharya Devvrat in the presence of senior BJP leaders Amit Shah, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and others.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his greeting for Patel and hoped he would enrich the growth trajectory of Gujarat. Sources said his council of ministers would be finalised in the next few days after consultations with the central leadership. Earlier, Patel offered ‘Gau pooja’ at the Swaminarayan Temple in Ahmedabad. A Kadva Patel, he is the first Ahmedabadi to become the chief minister of Gujarat.

    On Day 1, Patel took stock of the flood situation in Saurashtra, Jamnagar and Rajkot districts. He had a telephonic conversation with the Collector of Jamnagar and gave instructions on rescue and relief measures. He asked the officials to carry out the evacuations with the help of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

    “The chief minister also sought details about the condition of the reservoir of Aji-2 Dam due to heavy rains in Rajkot and urged the Rajkot Municipal Commissioner and collector to move the people from the low-lying areas to a safe place immediately,” the CMO stated. CM also obtained the details of 1,155 people of Aji shifted to safer places.

    The announcement of the 59-year-old Patel as the CM-elect during a legislative party meeting on Sunday came as a surprise to many, as the low-profile MLA was among the top contenders. He is a first-time MLA from the Ghatlodia constituency in Ahmedabad. Patel is a member of several organisations of the influential Patidar community. 

    The saffron party is banking on his connect with the Patidars to blunt the challenege mounted by the AAP in recent times by leading it to a stellar show in the polls next year. In a sudden and unexpected move on Saturday, Vijay Rupani had resigned as the chief minister, amid reports of the state unit warning against the party going to the polls under his leadership.

  • PM Narendra Modi congratulates new Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Bhupendra Patel on taking oath as Gujarat chief minister and expressed confidence that he will enrich the state’s growth trajectory. Noting that he has known Patel for years and has seen his “exemplary work”, be it in the BJP organisation or in civic administration and community service, Modi extended his wishes to him.

    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. @Bhupendrapbjp
    — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 13, 2021
    He 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 also lauded Patel’s predecessor Vijay Rupani, saying he worked tirelessly for all sections of society. “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,” Modi tweeted.

    First-term MLA Bhupendra Patel was on Monday sworn in as Gujarat chief minister after Rupani resigned over a year ahead of the Assembly polls.

  • Bhupendra Patel takes over as 17th chief minister of Gujarat

    By PTI

    GANDHINAGAR: First-term MLA Bhupendra Patel was on Monday sworn in as Gujarat chief minister, two days after Vijay Rupani’s surprise exit from the post, a year ahead of the Assembly polls. Patel (59), unanimously elected BJP legislature party leader on Sunday, was sworn in as the state’s 17th chief minister by Governor Acharya Devvrat at a simple ceremony here.

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah and chief ministers of some BJP-ruled states were among those present at the Raj Bhavan ceremony. As decided by the party, only Patel took the oath. The council of ministers will take oath during the next few days after their names are finalised, BJP sources said.

    The governor had on Sunday invited Patel to take oath as chief minister. “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,” Devvrat tweeted.

    At Sunday’s legislature party meeting, the proposal to elect Patel the legislative party leader was moved by Vijay Rupani, whose resignation as CM on Saturday, 15 months ahead of the Assembly polls, surprised many political observers.

    Rupani, the fourth chief minister to demit office in BJP-ruled states during the coronavirus pandemic, was sworn in as chief minister – his second stint as CM – in December 2017 and completed five years in office on August 7 this year.

    ALSO READ| Gujarat CM-designate meets Nitin Patel; Dy CM says he’s not upset with party’s decision

    With state Assembly polls scheduled in December 2022, the BJP is banking on Patel, a Patidar, for poll victory. In the 2017 Assembly elections, BJP won 99 of the 182 seats and Congress got 77. The Patidars are a dominant caste in Gujarat with a sizeable control over the electoral votes and dominate the political economy with a stronghold over education, realty and cooperative sectors.

    Patel’s elevation – he is the first from the Patidar sub-group to be chief minister – is key to BJP’s plans to woo the Kadva Patidar community, which some political observers feel, has drifted away from the party. He is a trustee of Sardardham, the Patidar community organisation that hosted the programme where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief guest on Saturday.

    Born in Ahmedabad, Patel is an MLA from the Ghatlodia seat, 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.

    Ghatlodia is part of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency represented by Shah.

    Patel, who holds a diploma in civil engineering, has 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 Patidar organisation Vishwa Umiya Foundation. Patel has never held a ministerial post, just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was never a minister when he became Gujarat CM 20 years ago.

    ALSO READ| Gujarat CM-designate Bhupendra Patel meets Vijay Rupani ahead of swearing-in ceremony

    Modi was sworn in as CM on October 7, 2001, and became an MLA on February 24, 2002, by winning the Rajkot seat bypoll. Patel is considered close to former Gujarat chief minister and present Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel.

    His Assembly constituency is part of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat represented by Shah. The BJP’s CM choice came as a surprise for many as the low-profile, first-time legislator was not seen to be among the top contenders for the post.

    Gujarat BJP chief CR Paatil said Patel’s work at the grass-root level, his hold on the cooperative sector, association with party workers and administrative abilities were among the factors that led to his elevation.

  • Gujarat CM-designate Bhupendra Patel meets predecessor Vijay Rupani ahead of swearing-in ceremony

    By PTI

    AHNMEDABAD: 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 later in the day, 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.

    After Rupani resigned on Saturday, Patel, who represents Ghatlodia Assembly seat in Ahmedabad, was unanimously elected as the BJP legislative party leader on Sunday. 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.

    According to Jamnagar district’s disaster management wing, the Indian Air Force has been requested to airlift people stranded in some of the villages of Kalavad and Jamnagar talukas.

  • Greenhorn Patel to be new chief minister of Gujarat

    Express News Service

    Forget the short list, he was not even on the speculated long list to become outgoing chief minister Vijay Rupani’s successor. The BJP on Sunday pulled a rabbit out of the hat by giving the chief ministerial baton to political greenhorn Bhupendra Patel, a first-term MLA with  no ministerial experience. 

    Seen as a protégé of UP Governor Anandiben Patel, he represents her Ghatlodia seat in the Assembly. Patel, 59, later met Governor Acharya Devvrat along with Rupani to take stake his claim for the hot seat. He is also associated with a couple of Patidar outfits as well. A civil engineer by qualification and builder by profession, he will take the oath of office and secrecy on Monday. 

    The soft-spoken, low profile Patel will now lead the state BJP to polls in 2022. “The selection of Bhupendra Patel is a master stroke of Anandiben Patel. The BJP has killed many birds with one stone. It is also to checkmate Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel because both come from the same region and are Kadva Patels, a sub-caste of the Patel community,” said senior journalist based in Gujarat, adding it will also possibly end Patidar agitations in the state.

    ​ALSO READ | Patidar factor and spotless image: Bhupendra Patel to take oath as Gujarat Chief Minister

    After Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Pralhad Joshi flew in from Delhi as observers, they held a series of meetings with senior party functionaries. The matter was first discussed in the core committee meeting before it was taken up at the BJP legislature party meeting. 

    The proposal to elevate Bhupendra Patel was moved by Rupani, after which almost all lawmakers fell in line.  Most of the 112 MLAs of the party in the 182-member Assembly were present at the meeting. However, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who was in the race for chief ministership, left the meeting without making any statement, while BJP’s state unit president C R Paatil had earlier said he was not a contender for the top post. 

    In Uttarakhand too, the BJP  chose Pushkar Singh Dhami as chief minister though he had no ministerial experience. Patel will be the first-ever CM from Ahmadabad. He won the 2017 Assembly elections from Ghatlodia, defeating Congress candidate Shashikant Patel by a margin of over one lakh votes, the highest winning margin in that election. His Assembly constituency is part of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat represented by Union minister Amit Shah.

  • Greenhorn Patel to be 17th chief minister of Gujarat

    Express News Service

    Forget the short list, he was not even on the speculated long list to become outgoing chief minister Vijay Rupani’s successor. The BJP on Sunday pulled a rabbit out of the hat by giving the chief ministerial baton to political greenhorn Bhupendra Patel, a first-term MLA with  no ministerial experience. 

    Seen as a protégé of UP Governor Anandiben Patel, he represents her Ghatlodia seat in the Assembly. Patel, 59, later met Governor Acharya Devvrat along with Rupani to take stake his claim for the hot seat. He is also associated with a couple of Patidar outfits as well. A civil engineer by qualification and builder by profession, he will take the oath of office and secrecy on Monday. 

    The soft-spoken, low profile Patel will now lead the state BJP to polls in 2022. “The selection of Bhupendra Patel is a master stroke of Anandiben Patel. The BJP has killed many birds with one stone. It is also to checkmate Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel because both come from the same region and are Kadva Patels, a sub-caste of the Patel community,” said senior journalist based in Gujarat, adding it will also possibly end Patidar agitations in the state.

    ​ALSO READ | Patidar factor and spotless image: Bhupendra Patel to take oath as Gujarat Chief Minister

    After Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Pralhad Joshi flew in from Delhi as observers, they held a series of meetings with senior party functionaries. The matter was first discussed in the core committee meeting before it was taken up at the BJP legislature party meeting. 

    The proposal to elevate Bhupendra Patel was moved by Rupani, after which almost all lawmakers fell in line.  Most of the 112 MLAs of the party in the 182-member Assembly were present at the meeting. However, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who was in the race for chief ministership, left the meeting without making any statement, while BJP’s state unit president C R Paatil had earlier said he was not a contender for the top post. 

    In Uttarakhand too, the BJP  chose Pushkar Singh Dhami as chief minister though he had no ministerial experience. Patel will be the first-ever CM from Ahmadabad. He won the 2017 Assembly elections from Ghatlodia, defeating Congress candidate Shashikant Patel by a margin of over one lakh votes, the highest winning margin in that election. His Assembly constituency is part of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat represented by Union minister Amit Shah.

  • Greenhorn Bhupendra Patel to be 17th chief minister of Gujarat

    Express News Service

    Forget the short list, he was not even on the speculated long list to become outgoing chief minister Vijay Rupani’s successor. The BJP on Sunday pulled a rabbit out of the hat by giving the chief ministerial baton to political greenhorn Bhupendra Patel, a first-term MLA with  no ministerial experience. 

    Seen as a protégé of UP Governor Anandiben Patel, he represents her Ghatlodia seat in the Assembly. Patel, 59, later met Governor Acharya Devvrat along with Rupani to take stake his claim for the hot seat. He is also associated with a couple of Patidar outfits as well. A civil engineer by qualification and builder by profession, he will take the oath of office and secrecy on Monday. 

    The soft-spoken, low profile Patel will now lead the state BJP to polls in 2022. “The selection of Bhupendra Patel is a master stroke of Anandiben Patel. The BJP has killed many birds with one stone. It is also to checkmate Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel because both come from the same region and are Kadva Patels, a sub-caste of the Patel community,” said senior journalist based in Gujarat, adding it will also possibly end Patidar agitations in the state.

    ​ALSO READ | Patidar factor and spotless image: Bhupendra Patel to take oath as Gujarat Chief Minister

    After Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Pralhad Joshi flew in from Delhi as observers, they held a series of meetings with senior party functionaries. The matter was first discussed in the core committee meeting before it was taken up at the BJP legislature party meeting. 

    The proposal to elevate Bhupendra Patel was moved by Rupani, after which almost all lawmakers fell in line.  Most of the 112 MLAs of the party in the 182-member Assembly were present at the meeting. However, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who was in the race for chief ministership, left the meeting without making any statement, while BJP’s state unit president C R Paatil had earlier said he was not a contender for the top post. 

    In Uttarakhand too, the BJP  chose Pushkar Singh Dhami as chief minister though he had no ministerial experience. Patel will be the first-ever CM from Ahmadabad. He won the 2017 Assembly elections from Ghatlodia, defeating Congress candidate Shashikant Patel by a margin of over one lakh votes, the highest winning margin in that election. His Assembly constituency is part of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat represented by Union minister Amit Shah.

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  • AAP ‘forced’ BJP to change chief ministers in Uttarakhand, Gujarat: Raghav Chadha

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Delhi MLA Raghav Chadha on Sunday claimed that the BJP was “forced” to change chief ministers in Uttarakhand and Gujarat after facing a challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the two states.

    The AAP national spokesperson also criticised the Congress while terming it an “ineffective, compromised and unsuccessful opposition”.

    “The AAP challenged the BJP by saying ‘perform or perish’, which forced the BJP to change its CMs in both the states.

    Such is the power of the AAP and Shri Arvind Kejriwal.

    I want to tell the people of the BJP that changing nameplates will not change the anger and resentment that the people of Uttarakhand and Gujarat have for you,” Chadha said during a press conference here.

    ALSO READ | First-time MLA Bhupendra Patel rises through ranks to become next Gujarat chief minister

    He added that a “convenient game of musical chairs” was being played by the BJP and the Congress in which they rule for five years each.

    “When one party is in power, the other helps from outside and upon a power switch, they return the favour.

    There is an understanding in these parties, which has resulted in Uttarakhand and Gujarat both, being devoid of a strong opposition and a strong government,” he said.

    Talking about the Surat municipal polls, held earlier this year, Chadha remarked that the BJP was getting its “power circles challenged” by the AAP.

    “Gujarat is a stronghold state of the BJP, the state from where the two most powerful politicians of the country come from, the state where the BJP has been ruling for 27 years is now getting its power circles challenged by the Aam Aadmi Party,” the Rajendra Nagar MLA said.

    He added that in Uttarakhand and Gujarat, “for every person who does not want to vote for the BJP, there are even more who don’t want to vote for the Congress”.

    “Due to this, there is a huge vacuum, which the AAP has successfully filled,” he claimed.

  • Bhupendra Patel to take oath as Gujarat Chief Minister on Monday

    By PTI

    GANDHINAGAR: Bhupendra Patel will take oath as the Chief Minister of Gujarat on Monday, state BJP president CR Paatil said.

    Talking to reporters on Sunday, Paatil said, “Bhupendra Patel will take oath as the chief minister…Only the chief minister will be sworn in tomorrow.” He added the new cabinet will be formed after consultation with the senior leaders in a couple of days.

    No discussion was held in the legislature party meeting about the deputy chief minister’s post, he said. Patel, who was also present there, told reporters that he was grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief JP Nadda, and Union minister Amit Shah for the trust they reposed in him.

    He said he was also grateful to the trust reposed in him by the Gujarat leadership, including outgoing CM Vijay Rupani and Deputy CM Nitin Patel, C R Paatil and other leaders.

    ALSO READ| First-time MLA Bhupendra Patel rises through ranks to become next Gujarat CM

    He said the blessing of former CM Anandiben Patel were with him all the time. “The government has worked well so that development reaches the last person. We will plan anew and discuss with the organisation to take forward the development works,” he said.