Vijay Rupani meets Gujarat Governor; swearing-in today

On Saturday, 60-year-old Rupani met Governor O P Kohli and staked claim to form the government, a day after he was elected by BJP legislators to succeed Anandiben Patel, with the central leadership playing a vital role in the choice. After the meeting with the Governor, BJP state in-charge Dinesh Sharma said Rupani will take oath on Sunday at 12.40 pm. While Rupani was accompanied by Deputy CM designate Nitin Patel and other state leaders, outgoing Chief Minister Anandiben Patel was conspicuous by her absence.

“We have told the Governor that the BJP Legislature party has endorsed the names of Vijay Rupani as new Chief Minister and Nitin Patel as Deputy Chief Minister,” Sharma said after the meeting. “The Governor has given his go ahead for the oath taking ceremony which will be held on Sunday at 12.40 pm,” he said. He, however, evaded a direct reply to a question on Anandiben’s absence.

In a dramatic turnaround the BJP central leadership on Friday decided on Rupani, an Amit Shah loyalist and state party chief, to replace Anandiben as the Chief Minister, instead of Nitin Patel who was the front-runner till the last moment. Anandiben had insisted on Nitin Patel as her successor, while Shah stood firm by Rupani.