Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel to visit Delhi to meet PM Modi & President Kovind on Sept 20

Newly-appointed Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is scheduled to meet President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his one-day visit to Delhi on Monday, the CMO said. He is likely to visit Delhi to meet them on Monday, September 20 on a one-day visit, the Gujarat CMO informed in a statement. This will be Patel’s first meet with the top leadership of the country as a serving Chief Minister.

Bhupendra Patel, who replaced former CM Vijay Rupani, is likely to meet Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with top BJP leaders, including party president J P Nadda, along with others.

Gujarat’s Patidar CM & new cabinet 

The face of the Patidar community in the state, Patel was chosen as the 17th Chief Minister of Gujarat to replace the outgoing Vijay Rupani, who resigned from the position surprisingly, months ahead the state was scheduled to go to the polls. In a move to refurbish the Gujarat cabinet, and to escape anti-incumbency in the upcoming 2022 elections, the whole cabinet has been changed in Gujarat. At the behest of the top BJP leadership, Gujarat inducted 24 new Ministers to the State Cabinet - 10 cabinet-rank Ministers and 14 Ministers of State, including five MoS with independent charge. None of the 24 Ministers was repeated from the outgoing Vijay Rupani cabinet. 

On September 16, days after Bhupendra Patel took over as the CM, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath of office to the new cabinet members at the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar in the presence of former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, former Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and BJP Gujarat unit chief CR Patil, among other party leaders.

Unforeseen political turnover in Gujarat

The sudden and out sight resignation of former CM Vijay Rupani rang bells of the political changes in the Gujarat BJP. Within two days of his silent resignation, BJP chose Bhupendra Patel to be the new CM face in the State for a year ahead of the assembly polls. Senior BJP leaders and central observers -- Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Prahlad Joshi -- facilitated the decision of choosing the new CM, which was taken in consultation with outgoing CM, Deputy CM, Gujarat MLAs. Belonging to the Patidar caste, Patel is a first-time MLA who trounced his Congress opponent in Ghatlodia by a margin of 1,17,750 votes. Bhupendra Patel is perceived to be a close aide of Uttar Pradesh Governor and former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel who won from this seat earlier.

With inputs from PTI

Image: PTI