• BJP leader Bhupendra Patel took oath as the chief minister of Gujarat for a second straight term in Gandhinagar. 

• Patel was administered the oath as the 18th chief minister by Governor Acharya Devvrat at a function held at the Helipad Ground near the new Secretariat.

• Sixteen other ministers, including eight of cabinet rank, were also sworn in. 

• In the just-concluded Gujarat Assembly elections, counting for which was held on December 8, the BJP won a seventh straight term by winning a  record 156 seats in the 182-member House. The Congress won 17 constituencies and AAP 5. 

• Patel won the Ghatlodia seat with the highest margin of 1.92 lakh votes in the elections. 

Who is Bhupendra Patel?

• A low-profile BJP leader and the first from the Kadva Patidar sub-group to become CM, Bhupendra Patel replaced Vijay Rupani in September 2021.

• 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. 

• When the BJP decided to replace Vijay Rupani and bring in a Patel community face as the chief minister, Patel emerged the winner, leaving others, including the then deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, behind. 

• The Patidars are a dominant caste in Gujarat with a sizeable control over the electoral votes and dominate the state politics with a stronghold over education, realty and cooperative sectors.

• In 2017, due to the Patidar quota agitation, the BJP was reduced to 99 seats, its lowest tally since 1995. It was important for the party to win back this section of voters. 

• Born in Ahmedabad, Patel is an MLA from the Ghatlodia seat, previously held by former chief minister and now Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel.

• He won the seat by over 1.17 lakh votes in 2017, the highest margin in that poll.

• In the past, Patel had served as the chairman of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) between 2015 and 2017. Before that, he was also the standing committee chairman of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the largest urban local body in Gujarat, between 2010 and 2015.

• Before contesting the Assembly election, he was active in local politics and became a member of Memnagar Municipality in Ahmedabad district, serving as its president twice.

• Patel is also a trustee of Sardardham Vishwa Patidar Kendra, an organisation dedicated to the socio-economic development of the Patidar community.

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