After Vijay Rupani quits, senior BJP leader says THIS on new Gujarat CM face

New Delhi: After Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani tendered his resignation, senior BJP leader Vajubhai Vala said a decision regarding a new CM will be taken after the meeting of the party MLAs. 

The former Governor of Karnakata said Rupani’s resignation did not come as a surprise to him. He told ANI, "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.”

Commenting on the next CM face for Gujarat, Vala said the BJP is yet to make a decision. "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 added. 

On being asked about the reason behind Rupani’s resignation, Vala said, "Whatever the party decides, every worker follows that. Vijay Rupani was Chief Minister for about 2000 days and neither public nor party workers had any complaints against him. We will follow whatever the party decides. He worked for the party his whole life.”

His remarks come as earlier today Rupani met Governor Acharya Devvrat and submitted his resignation from the post of Gujarat CM, one year ahead of Assembly elections in the state. "To further develop the state, with new energy and power, I have decided to resign as Chief Minister," he told reporters. 

Rupani became the fourth BJP`s chief minister to be replaced in the last six months. Earlier, Uttarakhand and Karnataka CMs were replaced. 

Meanwhile, as per PTI, the names of Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel, state agriculture minister R C Faldu, Union ministers Purshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya are doing rounds as successors of Rupani. "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,” PTI quoted a BJP leader as saying. 

(With agency inputs)

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