New Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel to take oath on Monday

Gandhinagar, Sep 12 (IANS) Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat has invited the Bharatiya Janata Party's newly elected leader and the Ghatlodia constituency legislator, Bhupendra Patel to take oath as the seventeenth chief minister of the state on Monday, at his residence in Gandhinagar, the Raj Bhavan.

The newly elected leader, Bhupendra Patel staked his claim to form a new government to the Gujarat governor on Sunday evening, after the announcement of his name for the top job at the state BJP headquarters, Kamalam earlier in the day.

Accepting his claim, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat invited Patel to take oath as Gujarat's seventeenth CM. The oath taking ceremony will be held at his residence in Gandhinagar, Raj Bhavan at 2.20 p.m. on Monday.

"Only the chief minister will be sworn in tomorrow," state BJP president C.R. Paatil said while talking to reporters on Sunday after Bhupendra Patel's selection in the legislature party meeting at Kamalam.

Later Paatil added that the revamped cabinet will be formed following consultation with the senior leaders in a couple of days.

Bhupendra Patel, who was also present at the press briefing, told the media that he was grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief J.P. Nadda, and Union minister Amit Shah for the trust they reposed in him.

"The blessings of former CM Anandiben Patel are with me all the time. We will plan anew and discuss with the organisation to take forward the development works," said Bhupendra Patel.

Ghatlodia MLA Bhupendra Patel was selected as Gujarat's new chief minister following Vijay Rupani's resignation on Saturday from the top post. It's over a year before the state goes to polls for the state Assembly elections.

Bhupendra, earlier has served as the chairman of the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA). He has never held a ministerial post, just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he became Gujarat CM, twenty years ago. Similar to Modi, he's also a first time MLA.

The BJP's legislature party meeting was attended by Central Observers -- Union Ministers Narendra Tomar and Pralhad Joshi. BJP's national general secretary Tarun Chug was also present at the meeting.