Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel today submitted her resignation to Governor O P Kohli hours after the BJP Parliamentary Board accepted her offer to quit and authorised party president Amit Shah to pick her successor to lead the party in 2017 polls.
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Congress party incharge for Gujarat Gurudas Kamat said Anandiben Patel’s resignation was overdue.
The BJP also made it clear that Shah, who will attend the Legislature Party in his capacity as party chief as well as an MLA, is not in the race for the Chief Minister’s post.
The selection of next CM is assessed based on the 2017 upcoming assembly poll sentiments. “Right now, the discussions were happening in central about ‘Who is New CM of Gujarat?”
“There is no such consultation going on in the party. She has set an example for lakhs of party workers and became an inspiration for many in the country by doing this”, Naidu told reporters after the meeting of party’s Parliamentary Board. “Her resignation is also the triumph of AAP’s fight against corruption in Gujarat”, Kejriwal said in a series of tweets.
Congress Party and other opposition parties has unleashed a nationwide attack on the BJP and its dispensations at the state and the centre over the issue. “The chief minister will be from the existing legislators”, said Naidu.
She contested and won her first Assembly election from Mandal in Ahmedabad district in 1998 after resigning from Rajya Sabha and was inducted in the cabinet of Keshubhai Patel as Education Minister.
Mr Patel demanded reserved government jobs and places in colleges for the Patidars, who, he said, had been excluded from the industry-centric development and prosperity of Gujarat. “I will attain the age of 75 in November”, Patel said in the Facebook post.
Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel finally made a decision to stand down weighed down by never-ending agitations and other issues that marred her two-year stint in office. Sections in the ranks also wish the party’s national president Amit Shah to take over the reins of the state to revive the saffron party’s sagging fortunes.
She has been in the state government for over 18 years which, he noted, is perhaps unprecedented for a BJP leader.
“It (the rule of 75) is a good thing and it will give a chance to young leaders to come up”, she added.
However, this was apparently delayed because of the BJP’s impressive performance in several states, like Assam, and then in a few by-elections back home.
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The Chief Minister, who also read out her Facebook post to local TV channels, said this was her second letter to the leadership to relieve her from the post. The CM’s exit was a foregone conclusion due to her poor handling of Patel agitation and physical assault on Dalits by a cow protection vigilante group in Una.
