Bhupendra Patel meets Deputy CM Nitin Patel ahead of oath-taking ceremony

Ahead of the oath-taking ceremony chief minister-designate of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel met Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel in Ahmedabad on Monday.

Speaking to the media, the Deputy Chief Minister said, "Bhupendra Patel is my old family friend. I congratulated him. We will be happy to see him take oath as CM. He has also asked for my guidance whenever needed."

Meanwhile, Bhupendra Patel also offered prayers at his home and met his neighbours.

Speaking to ANI, one of his neighbours Jeetu Bhai Kaswala said that Patel will do good work.

"I have been living here for last five years, and in all these years, I have understood that he is a very humble person and always works together. I'm very happy. He will do good work and complete the development process," his neighbour said.

"I am also distributing sweets as he will be taking the oath the new Chief Minister of Gujarat," he added.

Fondly addressed as 'Dada' by his supporters, Bhupendrabhai Rajnikanthbhai Patel is set to become the 17th Chief Minister of Gujarat.

The announcement of the 59-year-old leader's name as the chief minister-designate at a legislative party meeting of the BJP on Sunday came as a surprise for many as the low-profile MLA was not seen to be among the top contenders for the post.

Born in Ahmedabad, Patel is a first-time MLA from the Ghatlodia seat, a post previously held by Anandiben Patel, who is currently serving as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh with an additional charge of Madhya Pradesh. Patel had won his maiden seat by a margin of 117,000 votes in 2017, the largest margin in that poll defeating Congress candidate Shashikant Patel.

Patel has been invited by Governor Acharya Devvrat to the oath as the chief minister today.

BJP has said the decision regarding the new Gujarat cabinet will be taken later. The party is counting on Patel to navigate the party through tough waters during the upcoming assembly elections in 2022. In the 2017 state election, the BJP won 99 of the state's 182 Assembly seats, Congress got 77 seats.