“I have resigned as chief minister of Gujarat. I was given the opportunity to serve the state for five years. I will further do whatever is asked by my party," Vijay Rupani told the media on Saturday afternoon. The surprise announcement was made after a meeting with Governor Acharya Devvrat and the submission of his resignation letter.
Gujarat's second-longest serving Chief Minister, Rupani had been sworn in for a second term in December 2017. His resignation also comes ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state. There have been a slew of resignations over the last few months, with three Chief Ministers from two BJP-led states leaving their posts and causing severe political inconvenience within the party.
On July 26, BJP leader BS Yediyurappa resigned as Karnataka Chief Minister, marking the end of his government's two-year term. Trivendra Singh Rawat, the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, resigned on March 9, putting an end to days of speculation about a leadership shift in the BJP-ruled hill state amid allegations of discontent.
It's still unknown what sparked the abrupt change of heart, but the news has come as a shock for netizens who are now waiting to know who the next CM would be.
Here’s how people reacted once the news was out on Twitter:
