The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in the mood for a complete change in Gujarat ahead of the 2022 state elections. After a surprise move to elect Bhupendra Patel as the Chief Minister, the party has decided to give a facelift to the leader. new cabinet Based on “No Repeat” principle.
News18 exclusively accessed the list of ministers who will take oath as part of Patel’s cabinet on Thursday and as of now, none of the Vijay Rupani team has been named. However, some more names are likely to be added to the team.
The new ministers who are expected to take oath are Gandevi MLA Naresh Patel (Tribal), Pardi MLA Kanubhai Desai, Visnagar MLA Hrishikesh Patel, Dhari MLA JV Kakadia, Kaprada MLA Jitu Chaudhary, Niklo MLA Jagdish Panchal, Arvind Rayani from Rajkot, Majura MLA. Harsh Sanghvi. , Jamnagar MLA Raghavji Patel, Olpad MLA Mukesh Patel, Morwa Hadaf MLA Nimisha Suthar, Bharuch MLA Dushyant Patel, Prantij MLA Gajendra Parmar, Morbi MLA Brijesh Merja, Asarwa MLA Pradeep Parmar, Keshod MLA Deva Malam, Pakanj Desai Dandak (will continue as chief) Whip), Limbdi MLA Kiritsingh Rana, Mehmedavad MLA Arjun Singh Chauhan, Santrampur MLA Kuber Dindor and Mahuva MLA RC Makwana.
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Patel was due to take oath on Wednesday after the BJP elected Patel to lead the state in an unexpected move. However, sources indicated that the decision of top officials to replace around 70 per cent of the new council has led to discontent and anger among the incumbent ministers, who were reportedly reported to have been axed over a call.
Sources said all 23 ministers in the Rupani cabinet were asked to make room for the young faces, following which hectic talks took place. The poster at the Raj Bhavan, which mentioned Wednesday as the day of swearing-in, was removed in the afternoon as top officials tried to quell anger.
Several media outlets reported that the residences of state BJP president CR Patil, Rupani and other senior leaders were the focus of activity as office-bearers expressed their displeasure and the high command looked specifically to curb dissent in the 2022 elections.
There were also murmurs that the “no repeat” principle would disturb the caste equations in the state. It is said that not only the minister, Rupani was also upset with the move, he felt that it would send a wrong message.
Rupani out, Patel in – why the switch?
Rupani turned 65 last month and according to sources, the party was not so confident of facing the next elections in Gujarat under his leadership. In his resignation speech, Rupani cited “new energy and new enthusiasm” as the reason for choosing a new chief minister.
Sources had earlier told CNN-News18 that Patel is likely to be the new CM of the state. Rupani-led BJP is also said to be facing heat over the management of the Covid situation and the party was facing some anger in urban areas. Incidentally, Rupani was similarly elected as the CM in place of Anandiben Patel 15 months before the 2017 assembly elections in the state.
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Patel’s choice as chief minister, however, makes powerful political sense. Apart from being a Patidar – the community the BJP wants to favor in the next elections – Patel is also a Kadva Patel. He is actually the first Kadva Patel to become the Chief Minister of the state. The community is dominant in North Gujarat and Saurashtra and opens a new political narrative for the BJP ahead of the next elections.
A first-time MLA, Patel secured the assembly seat of Ghatlodia, once represented by Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, with 72% of the total votes polled in the 2017 state election. A trusted lieutenant of Amit Shah, Patel’s assembly constituency is also part of Shah’s parliamentary constituency Gandhinagar. He has never held a ministerial post like Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he became the CM of Gujarat 20 years back.
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