Who is new Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel? Engineer, MLA and BJP's strongman from Ghatlodia

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has picked Bhupendra Patel as the next Chief Minister of Gujarat after Vijay Rupani. The BJP core committee meeting concluded at Kamalam on Sunday afternoon with the naming of Bhupendra Patel as the new head of state. The change of guard in Gujarat comes in the lead-up to the 2022 assembly elections.

An MLA of Ghatlodia, Bhupendra Rajinikant Patel is believed to be a close aide of former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel. He became the MLA for Ghatlodia after winning the 2017 state Legislative Assembly elections, running against Shashikant Patel of the Indian National Congress. He upheld Anandiben Patel's former constituency by winning a record margin of 117,000 voters, the largest for any constituency in Gujarat for the BJP in this election.

An influential leader from the Patel community, Bhupendra Patel was one of the leaders who could take over the constituency after Anandiben Patel's resignation as CM in 2016. He has served as the chairman of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) as well as the Chairman of the standing committee for Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). Born on July 15, 1962 (59 years old), Bhupendra Patel is trained as a civil engineer.

Vijay Rupani resigns as Gujarat CM

Bhupendra Patel's appointment comes a day after Vijay Rupani stepped down as the Chief Minister of Gujarat without citing any reason - a move that came as a surprise to many. The state's development should carry on under "new leadership" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "guidance" he said after tendering his resignation.

Besides Bhupendra Patel, Union Ministers Mansukh Mandaviya & Purshottam Rupala, and Gujarat ministers Nitin Patel, RC Faldu, were being considered by the BJP to replace Vijay Rupani as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.