Anandi Patel emerges frontrunner to succeed Narendra Modi as Gujarat CM
Ahmedabad: Anandi Patel, Gujarat's Revenue Minister and a close aide of Narendra Modi, is likely to be chosen his successor when the BJP legislature party meets on Wednesday to elect a new leader.
"Most probably, Anandiben Patel will be the next chief minister of Gujarat," a source in BJP said.
Modi, the longest-serving chief minister of the state, who led BJP to a spectacular victory in the Lok Sabha elections, is scheduled to resign tomorrow after he was appointed as Prime Minister on Tuesday by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Another BJP leader said it is "95 per cent final" that Patel will be the new chief minister of Gujarat. However, speaking on condition of anonymity, another leader said nothing can be said for sure till the time the legislature party decides on Modi's successor.
Apart from 73-year-old Patel, others in the race for chief ministership are BJP general secretary Amit Shah, who is being credited for the party's resurgence and resounding victory in Uttar Pradesh, senior ministers Nitin Patel and Saurabh Patel, besides state party general secretary Bhikubhai Dalsania.
Modi will be present at the legislature party meeting at Gandhinagar town hall along with party's central observer Thavar Chand Gehlot and state in-charge Om Mathur.
If Patel is selected for the top post, she will be the first woman chief minister of Gujarat.
Patel, considered to be very close to Modi, is minister of Revenue and Urban Development in the Modi government. She was also a minister in the government of Modi's predecessor Keshubhai Patel.
A school teacher by profession, she had left her job to join politics.
Modi will put in his papers as Chief Minister of Gujarat on Wednesday after heading the state for over 12 years. Modi will also resign as member of Gujarat legislative Assembly.
Before tendering his resignation to Governor Kamla Beniwal, Modi will attend a special session of the state legislative Assembly where he will be accorded a farewell by the members.
"He will submit his resignation at around 3.30 PM tomorrow as the Chief Minister of Gujarat," state BJP spokesman Harsad Patel said.
Modi, who has a packed schedule on Wednesday, will later attend a meeting of the BJP legislature party where his successor will be chosen. BJP has appointed senior leader
Thavarchand Gehlot as observer for the exercise.
He is also likely to accompany the BJP delegation, which would call on the Governor with the new leader who would be appointed Chief Minister before submitting his resignation as MLA to Speaker Vajubhai Vala.
Modi has been the Chief Minister of Gujarat since October 7, 2001.
