(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The mlas will discuss names for the post of the chief minister in the presence of senior party leader and central observer thavarchand gehlot and gujarat state party in-charge om mathur.
the 123-strong bjp legislature party in gujarat will meet in gandhinagar near ahmedabad on wednesday to elect its new leader in place of narendra modi even as the chief minister addressed his last public meeting in his assembly constituency maninagar in ahmedabad on tuesday.
the mlas will discuss names for the post of the chief minister in the presence of senior party leader and central observer thavarchand gehlot and gujarat state party in-charge om mathur.
but sources said that unless modi springs a last-minute surprise 73-year-old revenue minister anandi patel will be formally anointed chief minister at the meeting and gehlot will directly announce her name after a one-line whip being given to the lawmakers.
though names of many cm aspirants — all hardly known outside gujarat — are also doing the rounds ever since modi’s appointment as the prime minister became a certainty the latter will have the last word on his successor.
while speculation is rife that gujarat will have its first woman cm in anandi patel a close confidante of modi some names also being bandied about include other ministers nitin patel ganpat vasava and bhupendrasinh chudasama. also other non-mla probables include bjp state treasurer surendra patel rss leader bhikhu dalsania and amit shah the party in-charge of uttar pradesh. but prior to the bjp mlas’ meeting a special session of the state assembly will be held on wednesday to bid farewell to modi who will then tender his resignation as cm.
anandi patel minister for revenue roads and buildings and urban development who was made chairperson of the four-member group of ministers to run the show in modi’s absence when he was campaigning has also been at major gujarat government functions which otherwise would have been presided over by modi.
a former teacher she is known as a tough woman and nicknamed the ‘iron lady of gujarat’. she remained loyal to modi even during his banishment from gujarat between 1996 and 2001. as a minister in the keshubhai cabinet when modi was under surveillance she was perhaps the only one who was never afraid of being seen in modi’s company.
in modi’s cabinet she has been credited with the massive school enrolment programme elaborate land surveys and digitisation of land records.
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