Gujarat's new chief minister is likely to be announced tomorrow after the BJP legislature party meeting. According to reports, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is on his way to Gujarat, his home state, where he will hold a meeting with the party MLAs tomrrow at Gandhinagar. The new chief minister is expected to be announced after the meeting.
This comes after Vijay Rupani, in a sudden development, on Saturday resigned from the post of chief minister.
"I have resigned as chief minister of Gujarat," Rupani told reporters after meeting Governor Acharya Devvrat and submitting his resignation letter. "I was allowed to serve the state for five years. I have contributed to the development of the state. I will further do whatever is asked by my party," Rupani said.
"In BJP, there has been a tradition that responsibilities of party workers change from time to time. I will be ready to take whatever responsibility that the party will give me in the future," Rupani said. "I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving a common worker like me this opportunity to serve the people of the state as chief minister," he added.
When asked about the reason for his resignation, Rupani said, "In BJP, it is like a relay race for party workers. One gives the baton to the other."
Meanwhile, former Governor of Karnakata and senior BJP leader Vajubhai Vala said Rupani's resignation did not come as a surprise to him.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Vala said,. "The resignation of Chief Minister was not a surprise as the people in the party keep meeting and their roles are decided according to the requirement of the party. When Anandiben Patel resigned, then also there was no particular reason for it," he said.
The BJP leader said the party has not decided who will be the new Chief Minister of Gujarat. "No name has been finalised yet. The new Chief Minister will be decided after the meeting of MLAs. That is a parliamentary procedure and the party will follow it," he said.
However, names of Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel, state agriculture minister R C Faldu and Union ministers Purshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya are doing the rounds amid speculation over who will succeed Vijay Rupani as Gujarat chief minister.
"Names of Patel, Faldu, Rupala and Mandaviya are being discussed. But it is impossible to say who will be the chief minister as the decision will be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," a party leader told news agency PTI.
