Gandhinagar: Bhupendra Patel was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Governor Acharya Devvarat during an oath-taking ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar on Monday, September 13, 2021.
When BJP MLA Bhupendra Patel was sworn in as Gujarat’s new chief minister on Monday afternoon, he became the fifth politician from the Patidar community, the dominant social group, to hold the top post since the state’s formation in 1960. Shows dominance.
Five of the total 17 Patels have been Chief Ministers of Gujarat since the formation of the state 61 years ago.
Assembly elections in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, are just over a year away, when Bhupendra Patel (59), the ruling BJP’s pick for the top post, has taken over.
He is a first-time MLA from Ahmedabad’s Ghatlodia and his promotion is being seen as an attempt by the BJP to woo the Patidars ahead of the 2022 elections and maintain its grip on Gujarat under saffron rule for more than two decades.
Before Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat saw Anandiben Patel, Keshubhai Patel, Babubhai Patel and Chimanbhai Patel as Chief Ministers belonging to the Patidar or Patel community.
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Most of the rest belonged to the OBC community like Chief Minister Modi and Madhav Singh Solanki.
Bhupendra Patel, who was sworn in as the 17th Chief Minister of Gujarat at the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar, is a first-time MLA and is believed to be close to Anandiben Patel, who resigned from the top post in August 2016 following the statewide Patidar quota agitation. had become violent
Late Chimanbhai Patel, a Congressman, was the first Patidar Chief Minister of Gujarat.
He assumed office for the first time in July 1973.
He resigned in February 1974 as a result of the ‘Nav-Niman Andolan’, a movement started by college students against the hike in the hostel food bill.
Chimanbhai Patel once again became the Chief Minister in October 1990 and held the post until his death in February 1994.
Janata Morcha and Janata Party leader late Babubhai Jasbhai Patel also served as Chief Minister twice.
His first tenure was between June 1975 and March 1976.
He held office again from April 1977 to February 1980.
Late Keshubhai Patel was the first BJP Chief Minister of Gujarat.
He assumed office in March 1995 after the BJP won a decisive majority in the assembly elections.
However, Keshubhai Patel resigned after seven months as his party colleague Shankarsingh Vaghela, who wanted to become Chief Minister after the BJP’s victory, rebelled against him.
The BJP led by Keshubhai Patel returned to power in the 1998 assembly elections and he once again became the Chief Minister.
However, he resigned prematurely in October 2001, citing ill health, paving the way for Modi, who served as chief minister until 2014.
After Modi left Gujarat in May 2014 to take over as Prime Minister, the BJP handed over the reins of Gujarat to Anandiben Patel, who had contested from the Ghatlodia assembly seat in Ahmedabad.
However, he resigned in August 2016, citing the BJP’s rule (not mentioned in the party’s constitution), which bars leaders above the age of 75 from holding any important posts.
Contrary to his claims, political experts believe that he resigned to quell the anger of the agitating Patidar community, which was angry with the BJP for not acceding to the demand to grant the OBC tag to the social group (its members get jobs). In order to qualify the quota and education).
In 2016, when Nitin Patel was seen as a strong contender for the top post, the BJP chose Vijay Rupani, a Jain, as Chief Minister.
Patidars constitute 13 to 14 percent of Gujarat’s population.
Read more: BJP leader Bhupendra Patel sworn in as the 17th Chief Minister of Gujarat
