Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani resigns ahead of assembly polls next year

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani resigned from his post on September 11. The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has submitted his resignation letter to Governor Acharya Devvrat at the Raj Bhawan.

Addressing the press following his unprecedented exit from the top post, Rupani said his resignation is in accordance with the "BJP's tradition" of providing all party workers an equal opportunity.

"I am ready to serve in whichever the role the party assigns to me," Rupani said, adding that he is committed to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I want to thank BJP for giving me this opportunity to serve as Gujarat's CM. During my tenure, I got the opportunity to add to the development of the state under PM Modi's leadership," he said.

Following the unexpected move, many names are making the rounds as likely replacement of Rupani. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandviya, Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel and state cabinet minister RC Faldu are among the frontrunners, according to sources

Rupani's resignation drew questions from the opposition, with Congress working president Hardik Patel claiming that it reflects the BJP's "lack of confidence" in their own chief minister.

"If the BJP is claiming that their government has performed well over the past four years, what was the need for an overnight change in leadership," Patel said, while speaking to a news channel.

Rupani, as well as the BJP, has so far not revealed who his successor would be. Party's national general secretary BL Santosh is meeting their MLAs in Gujarat following the chief minister's resignation.

The party has also, reportedly, convened a meeting of its legislators on September 12 in Gandhinagar, where the appointment of next chief minister would be further discussed.

Rupani is the party's fourth chief minister to resign this year -- Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat stepped down in March, followed by Tirath Singh Rawat's exit barely four months after replacing the former; and BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa's resignation as Karnataka CM in July.

Rupani, 65, was appointed as the chief minister in August 2016, after the then CM Anandiben Patel decided to step down citing her age which had crossed 75.

With Rupani as the chief minister, the BJP had registered a victory in the 2017 assembly elections, despite the agitation over the Patidar quota row.

In the past month, the state unit of BJP had organised a programme to mark the completion of his five years as the chief minister.

Notably, Gujarat, a citadel of the BJP, witnessed the chief ministership of Narendra Modi for a 13-year period between 2001 to 2014. The state has remained under the saffron party's rule since 1998.

The polls in Gujarat, as per the schedule, is expected in December 2022. The change in guard, by the BJP, could be an attempt by the party to offset anti-incumbency ahead of the polls next year.

In the 2017 elections, the party faced a stiff challenge from the Congress. Though it managed a victory, the BJP's tally dropped to 99 - from 115 in the last polls - and the Congress improved its legislative strength to 77 from 61.