Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani resigns
   Date :12-Sep-2021

Vijay Rupani _1 &nbs
 
 
 
AHMEDABAD :
 
Rupani’s successor to be decided in the legislature party meet likely to be held today
 
 
GUJARAT Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday resigned from the post, his sudden announcement coming over a year before the State goes to polls. It is not clear what prompted the development in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home State where elections to the 182-member Assembly are due in December 2022. Rupani (65), the fourth Chief Minister to demit office in BJP-ruled States during the coronavirus pandemic, was sworn in as Chief Minister – his second stint as CM - in December 2017. BJP’s general secretary (organisation) B L Santosh and Gujarat State unit in-charge Bhupender Yadav met party functionaries soon after Rupani announced his resignation. Party sources said the issue of Rupani’s successor will be discussed in the legislature party meeting likely to be held on Sunday.
 
“I have resigned as Chief Minister of Gujarat,” Rupani told reporters after meeting Governor Acharya Devvrat and submitting his resignation letter. “I was allowed to serve the State for five years. I have contributed to the development of the State. I will further do whatever is asked by my party,” Rupani said. “In BJP, there has been a tradition that responsibilities of party workers change from time to time. I will be ready to take whatever responsibility that the party will give me in the future,” Rupani said. “I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving a common worker like me this opportunity to serve the people of the state as chief minister,” Rupani said. Rupani and State cabinet colleagues met the Governor and submitted their resignations. Asked about reasons for his resignation, Rupani said, “In BJP, it is like a relay race for party workers.
 
One gives the baton to the other.” On who will be the next Chief Minister, Rupani said that the party will decide about it. He denied that he had any differences with State BJP president C R Paatil. Rupani comes from the Jain community which has around two per cent population in the State. There is speculation that his successor may be from the patidar community. The names of Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel, State Agriculture Minister R C Faldu and Union Ministers Purshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya are doing the rounds amid speculation over who will succeed Rupani as CM, but it is impossible to say who will be the CM as the decision will be taken by Modi, a party leader said.