Vijay Rupani or Nitin Patel as CM: Amit Shah, BJP top brass reaches Gujarat to hold parleys with party MLAs

Amit Shah and other central party observers will hold deliberate consultations with BJP MLAs to pick the new Chief Minister of Gujarat.

Gandhinagar: A day after Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel formally resigned from her post, BJP national president Amit Shah arrived in Ahemdabad on Thursday to hold consultations with party MLAs to decide who will be the next chief minister.

According to reports, Amit Shah and other central party observers, who also arrived here, will hold deliberate consultations with BJP MLAs to pick the new Chief Minister. An announcement in this regard is likely to be made on Friday.

Nitin Patel, the number two in the state's cabinet, and Gujarat BJP chief Vijay Rupani, who is also a minister, are seen as the front-runners to succeed Anandiben Patel.

Setting in motion the process for picking a new Gujarat chief minister, BJP on Wednesday gave its go ahead to incumbent Anandiben Patel to resign and authorised its president Amit Shah to pick her successor in consultation with the legislature party.

Patel met Governor OP Kohli at 5 pm yesterday in Gandhinagar and officially submited her resignation.

The Board also appointed Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and party general secretary Saroj Pandey as central observers for the legislature party meeting in which the new leader will be formally elected.

Shah, who is an MLA in the Gujarat Assembly, will also attend the meeting.

Patel’s successor will be among the party’s MLAs, senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said yesterday.

He also rejected reports that Shah can replace Patel, saying the party needs his leadership at the national level as he has taken it to “great heights” and led it to many successes. No name of her successor was discussed in the Board’s meeting, he said.