After days of speculation, President of the Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party, Vijay Rupani, has been appointed as the new chief minister of Gujarat and Nitin Patel will serve as the deputy CM.
Rupani emerged as the choice for the top slot at the legislature party meeting attended by BJP chief Amit Shah and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
#FLASH Vijay Rupani to be the next Chief Minister of Gujarat. Nitin Patel to be the Deputy CM.
— ANI (@ANI_news) August 5, 2016
Rupani is a first-time MLA of the BJP from Rajkot West constituency and also the state water resources minister. He would be tasked with leading the party in the assembly polls due next year, overcoming the multiple challenges faced by it in the home state of prime minister Narendra Modi.
The news comes as a surprise, as Nitin Patel’s name was almost confirmed for the CM’s post, days after Anandiben Patel announced her resignation.
Patel, 60, is a member of the upper-caste Patel, or Patidar, community that rose up last year in Gujarat to demand “reservation”, a guaranteed share of government jobs and college places usually reserved for disadvantaged groups.