Vijay Rupani to remain Gujarat CM, Nitin Patel his deputy
Vijay Rupani will remain as Gujarat CM. Recently, BJP returned to power in PM Modi's home-state for the sixth consecutive term. Though BJP registered a win, with 99 seats, its seat-share diminished to some extent. Congress experienced a surge of sorts with 80 seats. This will be Rupani's first entire term as CM. He had earlier assumed office in 2016 after Anandiben Patel resigned.
What did earlier reports suggest?
Earlier, there were reports of replacing Rupani with a candidate who, like Modi, connects with the masses. Union textiles and I&B minister Smriti Irani was reportedly being considered. She completely rejected these assumptions and denied being in the CM race. MoS Transport, Mansukh Mandaviya, who enjoys popularity among farmers, and Vajubhai Vala, incumbent Karnataka governor, were other suggested names.
Now, what is the BJP 's plan?
Now, BJP announced that Rupani will remain at the helm in Gujarat. Nitin Patel will continue as his deputy. Earlier, there were reports that Gujarat might follow the UP model. Rupani was to have two deputy CMs. So, with Nitin Patel, there were rumors of a tribal leader, like Ganapat Vasava, being the other deputy. However, the party has not confirmed this as yet.
