'Anandiben is a strict taskmaster. She is accepted much less among the party cadres, but the bureaucrats in Gujarat bow to her dictates. In charisma, she is not a patch on Modi, and her acceptance among the masses will never become a reality.' Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com reveals what Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel is really like.
Patel will replace Om Prakash Kohli, who, besides being Gujarat Governor, was also given the additional charge of Madhya Pradesh.
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and tied a rakhi on his wrist.
Gujarat Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel was on Wednesday elected leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party Legislature Party, who will succeed PM-designate Narendra Modi as chief minister of the state.
'He is a man of action and goes to the ground and solves the problem.' 'Be it the Air India crash of Ahmedabad, Morbi bridge collapse, Deesa blast or Gambhira bridge collapse, he is on the spot.'
Archis Mohan decodes Bharatiya Janata Party's pre-presidential poll manoeuvres.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday headed for a second straight win from the urban constituency of Ghatlodia, where he had taken a comfortable lead of almost 20,000 votes over his nearest rival after five rounds of vote counting.
As she steps down, a look at the top two contenders -- Vijay Rupani and Nitin Patel -- who could become Gujarat's next chief minister.
State agriculture minister R C Faldu and Union minister Purshottam Rupala's names are also being considered a front-runners.
She blamed the media for linking her and state Health Minister Nitin Patel's visit to Delhi, suggesting that a change of leadership in Gujarat was imminent.
Modi knows how to turn Gujarati pride into an emotive issue at election time and a Gujarati President would have its own electoral resonance and significance, note Sunil Gatade and Venkatesh Kesari.
It was widely speculated that the mantle would fall on Nitin Patel.
Patel has never held a ministerial post, just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was never a minister when he became Gujarat CM 20 years ago.
A dedicated party worker, who made his way up in the state politics from the municipality level, Patel was a surprise choice for the top post when the BJP decided to effect a regime change, replacing the entire ministry a year before the elections.
'Mr Modi has the power and pre-eminence in the BJP-RSS to choose how long he wants to serve, and he is definitely going to want to contest in 2029.' 'He will only be 79, as old as Donald Trump now, and fitter,' observes Shekhar Gupta.
She is the first woman chief minister of Gujarat.
"Thirteen years of Modi rule, not two years of Anandiben are responsible for Gujarat burning. Sacrificing the scapegoat won't save the BJP," Gandhi said on his official Twitter handle.
Patel's elevation to the coveted post is being attributed to his closeness to former Gujarat chief minister and current Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel. Both have residences in the same locality in the city.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and chief ministers of some BJP-ruled states were among those present at the Raj Bhavan ceremony.
'With tears in his eyes, he told me in Gujarati, "What have they done to this country? It has so much potential." That feeling for the country -- it was striking.'
There is also talk on the chances of Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, R C Faldu and Kaushik Patel, senior ministers in the Rupani cabinet, being retained.
Naidu said Shah is not in race to the new CM as party wants him to continue as national president.
Patel's elevation and his subsequent projection as chief ministerial face -- he is the first from the Kadva Patidar sub-group to be the chief minister -- is key to BJP's plans to woo the Kadva Patidar community, which some political observers feel, has drifted away from the party.
The statement comes in the aftermath of the Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel's resignation.
Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel took oath on Sunday in Gandhinagar.
Hardik Patel, 22, who was briefly detained over his hunger strike to demand Other Backward Class reservation for the Patel community, called for a state-wide bandh on Wednesday to intensify the agitation.
The party's CM choice came as a surprise for many as the low-profile, first-time legislator was not seen to be among the top contenders for the post.
Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, state BJP chief R C Faldu, 37 members of the assembly and six ministers are Patels.
Kejriwal, the Delhi chief minister who has set his eyes on the western state, said it was the "triumph" of AAP's fight against corruption in Gujarat.
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Sunday announced that her government will make the state slum-free in the next five years and is also aiming to provide pucca houses to the needy.
Successor Anandiben Patel isn't having an easy time, with a protest movement by her own community and new challenges in keeping the mandate
Anandiben Patel, who succeeds Narendra Modi as the new Gujarat chief minister, is seen as a disciplinarian and hard taskmaster who puts a premium on probity, qualities often associated with her predecessor.
Surveys suggest that the AAP would win 40 seats in the 182-member assembly if elections are held tomorrow.
Stakes are high for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party against the backdrop of Patel quota agitation while Congress is pinning on hopes to make a comeback.
'People with vested interests in the BJP don't want the Patels to get reservation.'
Meanwhile, an independent MLA in Gujarat has declared his support to the BJP.
'Number two' in the cabinet Nitin Patel has emerged as a strong contender.
Apart from these six deaths, 22 others died of heart attacks in the state during this period.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel were among the prominent faces who exercised their franchise in the second phase of Gujarat elections on Monday.
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