Bhupendra Patel takes oath as chief minister of Gujarat, team changes likely
Deccan ChronicleNew Delhi/Ahmedabad: First-time legislator Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel, 59, on Monday took the oath as the 17th chief minister of Gujarat, where Assembly polls are due to be held by the end of next year. Amid speculation that deputy chief minister Nitin Patel was miffed that he had been overlooked for the CM’s post, Mr Patel rejected such talk and said the BJP had “given him so much” and that he “was a seasoned politician, who had been teaching party cadres that they have to accept whatever the party decides for them”. Unanimously elected as the BJP legislature party leader on Sunday after Vijay Rupani’s sudden resignation, Mr Bhupendra Patel was sworn in as chief minister by the governor, Acharya Devvrat, at a simple ceremony in Gandhinagar. Mr Patel’s elevation -- he is the first from the Patidar sub-group to be made chief minister -- is key to the BJP’s plans to woo the Kadva Patidar community, which some political observers feel has drifted away from the party.