Vijay Rupani — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s confidant who is close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — was chosen as the new Chief Minister of Gujarat to succeed Anandiben Patel in a meeting of Gujarat BJP MlAs at the State BJP’s sprawling headquarters at Shree Kamalam on Friday evening.
Nitin Patel, seen as the front runner for the top slot after Anandiben offered to resign, was made Deputy Chief Minister. It is for the first time that Gujarat will have a Deputy Chief Minister.
Rupani’s elevation as 16th Gujarat CM comes just three days after he celebrated his 61st birthday.
Rupani belongs to Jain Bania community which is less than 2 per cent of Gujarat’s population. His closeness to PM Modi is known to everyone in political circles of Gujarat. In fact, Modi had attended Rupani’s marriage reception.
Also, he shares good rapport with BJP’s national president Amit Shah. He became MlA for the first time
in October 2014 from Rajkot West Assembly constituency. He got a place in the Anandiben’s Council of Ministers as Cabinet Minister in November 2015.
Within five months, he was given the responsibility as Gujarat BJP president in February 2016.
Now he is all set to take oath as the 16th Gujarat Chief Minister. Born on August 2, 1956 in Rangoon, Burma now Myanmar, the CM designate started his political career as a student leader.
Close to the RSS, Rupani later on became active in Jan Sangh from 1971.
Also, he went to jail during Emergency under The Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA). Interestingly he and current leader of the Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela were inmates in a jail for a brief period. At that time, Vaghela too was associated with the Jan Sangh.
Active in the BJP since its inception, Rupani learnt initial lessons of politics from late Chimanbhai Shukla
In 1987 he became councillor in Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) and later on in 1996 went on to become mayor of Rajkot. During Keshubhai Patel’s Government he was head of the 20-point implementation Panel. In 2006, then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi appointed him as chairman of Tourism Corporation of Gujarat (TCGl).
Soon he became Rajya Sabha member (2006-2012).
Simultaneously he was given responsibility of the party’s in-charge for Saurashtra-Kutch region.
He turned out to be good at organisational work by playing pivotal role in the 2007 Assembly polls and secured over 40 seats out of 58 from the region for the party. Again in the 2012 Assembly election, he repeated similar performance from the region, which helped Modi to form a Government for the third time and consolidate his position on national politics.