Bhupendra Patel was picked leader of the BJP's legislative party in Gujarat.
New Delhi:
Fifty-nine-year-old MLA Bhupendra Patel was named the next Gujarat Chief Minister at a meeting of BJP legislators on Sunday, a day after the unexpected resignation of Vijay Rupani.
Here is your 5-point guide to who Bhupendra Patel is:
- Bhupendra Patel is a first-time MLA from Gujarat's Ghatlodiya who won the 2017 assembly election against the Congress's Shashikant Patel by more than 1 lakh votes, the highest margin that year.
- Said to be a confidante of UP Governor and former Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, he belongs to the Patel or Patidar community, which the BJP was reportedly keen to appease ahead of next year's assembly elections.
- He holds a diploma in civil engineering from the Government Polytechnic Ahmedabad and had declared more than Rs 5 crore in assets in his 2017 election papers.
- Bhupendra Patel was a surprise decision by the party as he was not listed among the main contenders after Vijay Rupani's exit, according to BJP sources.
- Mr Patel has been chairman of the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) in the past and has also led the Standing Committee of Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC).
