Bhupendra Patel, 59, a protege of former Chief Minister and current Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, was on September 12 elected to be the new Chief Minister of Gujarat.

• Mr. Rupani, a protege of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, abruptly resigned on September 11 paving the way for a change of guard.
• Mr. Patel’s name was cleared by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to replace Mr. Rupani from the numerically insignificant Jain community, with a leader from the dominant Patidar caste ahead of the Assembly polls likely in November 2022.
• Mr. Patel expressed his gratitude to Mr. Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the party leadership for reposing faith in him.

By: Brijesh Kumar