Bhupendra Patel elected legislative party leader, to take oath as CM on December 12

Bhupendra Patel will continue as Gujarat Chief Minister for a second term after he was elected legislative party leader in a meeting of BJP MLAs on Saturday. This comes after Patel, along with his entire cabinet, tendered their resignation on Friday to pave the way for the formation of a new government in the state after the ruling BJP’s landslide victory in the Assembly elections.

A meeting of newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) legislators was conducted on Friday in Gujarat's Gandhinagar. Bhupendra Patel, the chief-minister-designate chosen during the meeting, was chosen as the legislative party's leader. His name was reportedly offered by Pardo MLA Kanu Desai, who had the entire support of all MLAs. Union Ministers Arjun Munda and Rajnath Singh also attended the conference as "central observers."

After being chosen as the legislative party's leader, Patel is scheduled to visit New Delhi alongside BJP State President CR Patil. Patel will officially invite the party's national general secretary BL Santish, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his oath-taking ceremony on December 12 during his visit.

Before the meeting, newly elected MLA Hardik Patel told the reporters that the BJP had once again established the government and that it would be interesting to witness how Gujarat developed over the ensuing five to ten years.

It should be noted that the BJP won 156 out of the total 182 seats in Gujarat, registering a resounding triumph. Congress, the party's primary opposition, only managed to win 17 seats; newcomer Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) managed to win five seats and four others. Notably, PM Modi was in charge of the election campaign in the state and asked voters to give the party a record-breaking majority there.

With Gujarat choosing the BJP for a seventh consecutive election, this poll is historic for the state. The most important lessons from the 2022 election are the strong, unwavering influence that PM Modi continues to have over his own state; the willingness of certain people to accept a "outsider"; and the rejection of the weary Congress. Although the AAP did poorly in the state, there was some hope for the party in its 12.9% vote share, and its emergence as a national force.