By FnF Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 13, Sep 2021, 17:59 pm IST | UPDATED: 13, Sep 2021, 18:13 pm IST
New Delhi: First-term MLA Bhupendra Patel took the oath as the 17th Chief Minister of Gujarat on Monday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the oath-taking ceremony.
Bhupendra Patel was administered the oath by the Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat.
Union Home Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar were also present during the ceremony.
Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani and deputy CM of the state Nitin Patel also attended the swearing-in ceremony.
This comes two days after Vijay Rupani's surprise exit from the post, a year ahead of the Assembly polls
The party's CM choice came as a surprise for many as the low-profile, first-time legislator was not seen to be among the top contenders for the post.
Patel, who holds a diploma in civil engineering, has served as Ahmedabad municipal councillor and as the chairperson of the Standing Committee of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority. He is also a trustee at Patidar organisations Sardardham and Vishwa Umiya Foundation.
With state Assembly polls scheduled in December 2022, the BJP is banking on Bhupendra Patel, a Patidar, to lead the party. In the 2017 Assembly elections, BJP won 99 of the 182 seats and Congress got 77.
At Sunday's legislature party meeting, the proposal to elect Patel the legislative party leader was moved by CM Vijay Rupani, whose resignation on Saturday, 15 months ahead of the state Assembly polls, surprised many political observers, as reported by PTI.
Patel has never held a ministerial post, just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was never a minister when he became Gujarat CM 20 years ago. Modi was sworn in as CM on October 7, 2001, and became an MLA on February 24, 2002, by winning the Rajkot seat bypoll.
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