Ex-Ministers sulk ahead of Gujarat Cabinet swearing-in; last-minute lobbying on: Sources

Amid rumours that the new Gujarat Cabinet will contain all fresh faces, Ministers in the erstwhile Vijay Rupani-led government are believed to be unhappy. Former Deputy CM Nitin Patel who is also likely to be dropped was reportedly incommunicado for several hours even as Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and BJP general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh were trying to repeatedly contact him. As per sources, he is aggrieved also because the MLAs which he recommended do not feature in the list of Council of Ministers.

Several leaders such as Kunvarji Bavaliya are trying to reach out to Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil at the last moment to lobby for a place in CM Bhupendra Patel's team. Sources indicated that further changes are expected in the final list of Ministers who will be sworn in at 1.30 pm at the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar. Bhupendra Patel was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat on Monday. 

Change of guard in Gujarat

In an unforeseen development on September 11, Vijay Rupani tendered his resignation as the Chief Minister of Gujarat without giving any specific reason. While BL Santhosh and Gujarat in-charge Bhupender Yadav were already present in the state, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Narendra Tomar were rushed as observers. Though speculation was rife that Nitin Patel, Cabinet Minister RC Faldu and state BJP vice president Gordhan Zadafia were the top contenders for the post, Bhupendra Patel was elected as the new CM in a meeting of the BJP Legislative Party on September 12. 

Belonging to the dominant 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. An engineer, he has served as the chairman of the Standing Committee of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation as well as the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority. Having faced a backlash over the Patidar agitation, Patel's appointment is seen as BJP's attempt to bolster their chances for re-election in the 2022 Assembly election.