All the newly-elected BJP MLAs in Gujarat met in the state capital and picked Bhupendra Patel as the new legislative party leader. He will assume the post of Chief Minister of the state on December 12 along with 20 Cabinet ministers.
The meeting took place at the BJP’s state headquarters ‘Kamalam’ in Gandhinagar.
The meeting to pick a new leader was a mere formality as the BJP leadership had already announced that Bhupendra Patel would be named Gujarat CM once again.
While making the announcement, BJP MLA Harsh Sanghavi said, “Bhupendra Patel has been elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party.”
Patel, who won a second straight term from the Ghatlodia Assembly seat in Ahmedabad district by 1.92 lakh votes, resigned as the chief minister on Friday along with his entire cabinet to pave the way for formation of a new government in the state after the ruling BJP won a landslide victory in the just concluded Assembly elections.
Patel had replaced Vijay Rupani as Gujarat chief minister in September last year.
The party has already announced that the swearing-in ceremony of the new government will take place on December 12, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will be present along with chief ministers of BJP-ruled states.
The BJP registered a historic victory in Gujarat by clinching 156 seats in the 182-member House on Thursday, much higher than its tally of 99 seats in 2017.
