AHMEDABAD:
Vijay Rupani will take over as the new chief minister of Gujarat.
Nitin Patel will be the deputy chief minister of Gujarat. The oath taking ceremony will take place on Sunday, 7 August, 2016.
Rupani was picked for the state's top job by party MLAs at a meeting on Friday. The meeting saw the participation of
BJP president Amit Shah and senior leader
Nitin Gadkari as observers.
Vijay Rupani is the state president of the BJP and was the minister for transport, water supply, labor and employment in Anandiben's cabinet. He was elected an MLA for the first time in 2014, winning the Rajkot West seat vacated by Vajubhai Vala, who went on to become Karnataka Goveror. Rupani was considered the most non-controversial
prospect as her successor , and enjoys wide acceptance among party cadre.
The new CM pick comes after days of speculation over whether
Amit Shah would take charge as the Chief Minister. The air however was cleared on Wednesday when senior leader Venkaiah Naidu categorically stated that Amit Shah would continue in his national role.
Anandiben Patel tendered her resignation to Governor OP Kohli on Wednesday evening, hours after it was accepted by the BJP's parliamentary board. Patel had been at the receiving end of a string of high-pressure crises in Gujarat.
She had received intense criticism for her handling of the protests demanding reservation for the powerful Patidar community. She has also been targeted over the protests by Dalit organisations in the aftermath of the beatings in Una.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, Location Guesser and Mini Crossword.