Bhupendra Patel: Know everything about BJP’s Gujarat Chief Minister

New Delhi: Bhupendra Patel is a dedicated BJP party worker who rose through the ranks of state politics from the municipality level. It was a surprise choice for the top post when the BJP decided to implement a regime change, replacing the entire ministry a year before the elections. When the BJP decided to replace Vijay Rupani and bring in a Patel community face as the chief minister. This man emerged as the winner, leaving others, including the then deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, behind. Patel, the soft-spoken face of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat, is set to retain the chief ministerial seat after the party swept the state Assembly elections, defeating rivals Congress and Aam Aadmi Party. C R Patil, the state BJP president, announced on Thursday (December 8, 2022) that Patel will be sworn in as CM again on December 12, 2022.

Not a known face to the CM of Gujarat 

Before becoming CM in September 2021, Bhupendra Patel was little known outside of Ahmedabad and even within the party. The party's surprise choice has made some difficult decisions in the last year to establish itself as the leader in Gujarat. The BJP has already announced that he will be the state's chief minister if the party wins a majority for the seventh time in a row. In opinion polls, he has emerged as the people's first choice to lead Gujarat. The Patidars are a dominant caste in Gujarat, with a sizable control over electoral votes and a stronghold over education, real estate, and cooperative sectors.

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The BJP was reduced to 99 seats in 2017 as a result of the Patidar quota agitation, its lowest tally since 1995. It was critical for the party to reclaim this group of voters. Patel's elevation and subsequent projection as chief ministerial face - he is the first chief minister from the Kadva Patidar sub-group - is critical to the BJP's plans to woo the Kadva Patidar community, which some political observers believe has drifted away from the party. Patel, who was born in Ahmedabad, is an MLA from the Ghatlodia seat, which was previously held by the former chief minister and current Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel. 

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel won in 2017 with highest margin in  polls

He won the seat by over 1.17 lakh votes in 2017, the highest margin in that poll. In the results declared Thursday, Bhupendra Patel retained the Ghatlodia seat, which is a part of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency represented by Union minister Amit Shah. Fondly called 'Dada' by many, he is considered to be close to Anandiben Patel. In the past, Patel served as the chairman of the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) between 2015 and 2017. 

ગુજરાત વિધાનસભા ચૂંટણીમાં ભારતીય જનતા પાર્ટી પર અતૂટ વિશ્વાસની મહોર મારી ઐતિહાસિક વિજય અપાવવા બદલ રાજ્યના સૌ મતદારોનો હૃદયથી આભાર વ્યક્ત કરું છું. જનસેવાના સંકલ્પ સાથે અથાક પુરુષાર્થ કરનાર દેવદુર્લભ કાર્યકર્તાઓ અને પક્ષના શીર્ષસ્થ નેતૃત્વને હાર્દિક અભિનંદન પાઠવું છું. pic.twitter.com/XL2MmrHfQI — Bhupendra Patel (@Bhupendrapbjp) December 8, 2022

Bhupendra Patel’s early political life

Before that, he was also the standing committee chairman of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the largest urban local body in Gujarat, between 2010 and 2015. People close to him know Patel, who holds a diploma in civil engineering, as a smiling face, who is well-connected to the grassroots. Before contesting the Assembly election, he was active in local politics and became a member of Memnagar Municipality in Ahmedabad district, serving as its president twice. Patel is also a trustee of Sardardham Vishwa Patidar Kendra, an organisation dedicated to the socio-economic development of the Patidar community. Patel is married to Hetalben, a housewife. He has travelled the world and has his residence in Ahmedabad's Shilaj locality. He likes to indulge in spiritual activities, as well as games like cricket and badminton.

(With PTI inputs)