Gujarat: Amit Shah says Bhupendra Patel is BJP's CM candidate
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah has confirmed that Bhupendra Patel would "undoubtedly" remain Gujarat's chief minister when the saffron party secures a majority in the Gujarat Assembly elections next month. "If BJP gets a majority in Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel will be the next chief minister," Shah told CNN-News18 on Monday.
Why does this story matter?
Patel replaced Vijay Rupani as Gujarat's CM in September 2021, a move that surprised many. Now, as per the BJP's first list of candidates for the upcoming polls released on Thursday, the 60-year-old incumbent CM will be contesting from Ghatlodia again. Notably, Patel is known for his on-ground and uncontroversial leadership style and for pushing the BJP's agenda without trying to exert his authority.
BJP's fresh approach for Gujarat polls
Shah's statement makes it evident that Patel is the BJP high command's choice for the upcoming polls, as the party is looking to secure its seventh consecutive win in Gujarat. However, the saffron brigade has so far announced the names of 166 candidates—dropping about 40 sitting legislators, including ministers—in a push to bring in fresh faces to cut down the anti-incumbency factor in Gujarat.
6-time MLA rebels after being denied BJP ticket
Meanwhile, a six-time MLA from Gujarat's Waghodia, Madhubhai Shrivastav, has turned a rebel after the BJP decided not to re-nominate him. Shrivastav won from the BJP in previous polls but is contesting independently now. He also rued joining the BJP in 1995 at Narendra Modi and Shah's insistence. He even claimed CM Patel can't do anything regarding nomination as "everything is decided from Delhi."
Gadhvi announced as AAP's CM candidate
Separately, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) earlier declared party leader Isudan Gadhvi as its CM face in Gujarat after a "public survey." The AAP is putting itself forward as the BJP's main challenger. Notably, Gujarat polls have traditionally been a bilateral BJP-Congress fight. Meanwhile, the Congress has chosen not to announce its chief ministerial candidate for the Gujarat Assembly polls.
Two-phase polling in Gujarat
The people of Gujarat will be voting to elect representatives for a total of 182 Assembly seats. Elections will be held in two phases: on December 1 and December 5, while the counting of votes will take place on December 8. To recall, in the 2017 Gujarat elections, the BJP's seat tally shrunk to two digits—to 99 seats—while the Congress's share rose to 77.
