Why Vijay Rupani may have resigned as Gujarat CM and who could be his successor | News from India

NEW DELHI: In a sudden and unexpected move, Vijay Rupani resigned as chief minister of Gujarat on the Saturday before the state assembly elections at the end of next year.
Rupani is the fourth chief minister of the BJP to be destroyed this year after BS Yediyurappa (Karnataka), Tirth Singh Rawat (Uttarakhand) and Trivendra Rawat (Uttarakhand).
Speaking to reporters after resigning from Raj Bhavan, Rupani acknowledged that at BJP there is a tradition of responsibilities that change from time to time.

“I was allowed to serve the state for five years. I have contributed to the development of the state. I will also do whatever my party asks of me.
“At BJP, there has been a tradition that the responsibilities of party workers change from time to time. I will be prepared to take on any responsibilities that the party will give me in the future,” he said.
Covida crisis and “soft” image
While the exact reason for Rupani’s departure can only be speculated, observers point to factors such as the Covid crisis and his image as CM.
The second wave of pandemic in Gujarat and the consequent economic and social distress may have played a role in the departure of Rupani, according to PTI, according to the observers quoted.
Some observers said Rupani’s unobtrusive nature led to the image of a “weak” CM that allowed bureaucrats to nullify political leadership.
Rupani became prime minister in Gujarat on August 7, 2016, following the resignation of current incumbent Anandiben Patel, and continued in office after the BJP’s victory in the elections in the 2017 assembly.
He had turned five years old as a CM in August of this year.

Change in BJP’s brand policy?
Rupani’s resignation comes during the year, which has witnessed similar outings in other states. This is a deviation from the BJP operation during the first term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The saffron party remained largely inflexible in supporting its ministerial elections towards before 2019 despite voices against some of them.
Political observers believe the changes highlight the analysis of feedback from the BJP leadership and its willingness to address them, although one last word on the shock can only be delivered in elections.
It should be noted that Anandiben Patel was the only chief minister the party asked to leave office during the 2014-19 period. This was also in Gujarat.
The party had then cited its convention of removing those over 75 from government office. Later, it was replaced by Rupani.

The recent wave of changes made by the party in the central government or in states governed by it has marked the return of a more conventional policy with the standard political fault lines of caste identity that push the will to experiment in the background. .
The improved percentage of other backward classes (OBC) to 27 and Dalits to 12 in the Union Council of Ministers after its expansion in July was shown to be one of the highlights.
The saffron party also replaced BS Yediyurappa, the leader of Lingayat, as Karnataka CM by another leader of Lingayat, Basavaraj S Bommai.
In Uttarakhand, he replaced two Thakur chief ministers with another Thakur leader, and it was speculated that Rupani, who comes from a numerically insignificant Jain community, could give way to a Patidar, the largest community in the western state. .
Who will be Rupani’s successor?
Although the BJP has not yet announced the replacement of Rupani, the names of Gujarat MP CM Nitin Patel, State Agriculture Minister RC Faldu and Union ministers Purshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya are making the rounds.

“The names of Patel, Faldu, Rupala and Mandaviya are being discussed. But it is impossible to say who will be the chief minister, as the decision will be made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” a party leader said.
Mandaviya and Patel visited the BJP office in Gandhinagar today, shortly after Rupani announced his resignation.
Mandaviya, who, like Patel, belongs to the influential Patidar community, is also considered a leader. Community leaders had recently demanded that the next chief minister be a Patidar.
BJP state president CR Paatil, who originally hails from Maharashtra, is unlikely to be considered for the post of CM, sources said.
(With PTI tickets)