A little over a year before next year’s assembly election, Patidar MLA Bhupendra Patel was sworn in as Gujarat chief minister on Monday by governor Acharya Devvrat at the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar.
Union home minister Amit Shah, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Goa CM Pramod Sawant and Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai were present among others for the swearing in. Shah was first to congratulate Patel after he took the oath. Putting up a show of solidarity, Patel's predecessor Vijay Rupani and former deputy chief minister Nitin Patel were also present at the ceremony.
The focus has now shifted to who will be included in the council of ministers. Amit Shah held a series of meetings with the new CM, state BJP president C R Paatil and other senior leaders to finalise the names in the new cabinet.
PM Narendra Modi was among those who congratulated the new CM and also applauded the work of outgoing CM Vijay Rupani. “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. 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 added.
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.
Patel likely to have a younger cabinet
Hectic parleys continued through the afternoon as Bhupendra Patel got down to the task of finalizing the names of candidates who will be in his council of ministers. Sources in the ruling party suggested that Bhupendra Patel (59) is likely to have a younger cabinet with the possibility that a few cabinet members over the age of 60 will be dropped to accommodate younger faces.
The CM held a meeting with Amit Shah and other top leaders of the BJP, where the issue of who will be in the cabinet was discussed at length. Sources said that the names of Patel’s new cabinet are expected to be finalized in a day or two. Sources also informed that the swearing-in ceremony could take place either on Wednesday or a day later.
Most leaders in the ruling party refused to comment anything about the new cabinet. However, on a philosophical note, Nitin Patel, while answering questions from the media said, “The party, leadership, God and fate all work as per their time”. The party has given me positions in cabinet several times, made me the deputy chief minister, given me the important responsibilities of finance and Narmada (departments). I am happy that I have worked as a cabinet minister in the governments led by senior leaders like shubhai Patel, Narendra Modi, Anandiben Patel, and am a part of the party’s parliamentary board. I have received a lot from the party, and there is nothing I need to comment on.” Sources stated that one of the overriding criteria being discussed is that there should be a younger cabinet. This would imply that a few ministers above the age of 60 could possibly be dropped from the cabinet, sources said.
Patel pips BJP stalwarts
PM Modi sprang a surprises when the soft-spoken, first time MLA Bhupendra Patel was anointed as the successor of outgoing CM Rupani on Sunday. Following the script penned in Delhi, Rupani proposed Patel’s name, which was seconded by Nitin Patel in the presence of central party observers. Patel, 59, edged out several top party leaders from the CM race. A real estate developer himself, Patel has headed the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) and helmed the standing committee of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.
He is a Kadva Patel and his elevation is likely to help the BJP soothe the temper of the powerful Patidar community, its loyal vote bank. The community has been somewhat estranged from the BJP. That disaffection was reflected in the Aam Aadmi Party’s performance in the Surat Municipal Corporation elections held in February this year - the AAP won 27 seats, all in Patidar-dominated areas.
Rupani's unceremonious exit
Earlier, in an abrupt move Vijay Rupani tendered his resignation as chief minister, becoming the third CM to leave the top post in a BJP-ruled state in fewer than three months. Rupani’s exit came after helming the state for five years and 36 days and with just over a year to go for the assembly polls. Unlike his predecessor Anandiben’s Patel's case, Rupani’s exit was without any acrimony.
Looking to play down the speculation over the possible reasons for his rather unceremonious removal, Rupani said after his resignation: “I served as a CM for five years. That is a long time.” He went on to say: “Change in leadership is a natural phenomenon in the BJP. I have requested the leadership to give me a role in the party organization.” While the move appeared sudden, political circles had been agog with rumours of the 65-year-old Rupani’s exit for some time. The talk about ‘change of guard’ gathered further steam after the resignations of B S Yediyurappa in Karnataka and T S Rawat in Uttarakhand.
