As Vijay Rupani resigns, CR Paatil, Nitin Patel among frontrunners for CM post
Hindustan TimesThe BJP leadership has not yet commented on Vijay Rupani's sudden resignation but reports said that the process of announcing Rupani's successor ahead of the assembly election next year is already on and the frontrunners are deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, state Cabinet minister RC Faldu, Gujarat BJP chief CR Paatil, state BJP vice president Gordhan Zadafia. Though the resignation that Rupani submitted to the governor on Saturday comes as unexpected, the change of guard in BJP-rules states ahead of elections is not new as this is the fourth resignation of a chief minister this year, following Uttarkhand's Trivendra Singh Rawat, Tirath Singh Rawat and Karnataka's BS Yeddyurappa. He is a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat RC Faldu was the former president of the state BJP unit and is the present Cabinet minister of agriculture, rural development and transport. Reports said Union home minister Amit Shah will reach Gujarat on Saturday night while the state party leadership has already met the MLAs.