Bhupendra Patel, a first-time MLA from Gujarat’s Ghatlodiya, took the oath of office as Gujarat Chief Minister on Monday, three days after Vijay Rupani’s unexpected resignation.
On Sunday, Patel was overwhelmingly chosen as the BJP legislative party’s leader. He was sworn in as the 17th chief minister of the state.
Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat invited Patel to take the oath of office as chief minister on Sunday. “Bhupendrabhai Patel, the new head of the BJP’s Legislature Party, submitted a proposal to form the government under his leadership. After accepting the idea, he was asked to take the oath of office as CM on September 13 at 2.20 p.m “The Governor tweeted about it.
Patel, who was born in Ahmedabad, is an MLA from the Ghatlodia seat, which was previously held by the former chief minister and current Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel. In 2017, he won the seat by more than 1.17 lakh votes, the largest margin in that election. Ghatlodia is a member of Shah’s Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency.
Patel, who has a diploma in civil engineering, has served as an Ahmedabad municipal councillor and as the head of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority’s Standing Committee. He also serves on the boards of Patidar organizations Sardardham and Vishwa Umiya Foundation.
With state Assembly elections planned for December 2022, the BJP is counting on Patidar Bhupendra Patel to head the party. In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP won 99 of the 182 seats, while the Congress received 77.