Bhupendra Patel resigns, likely to come back as Gujarat CM today

GANDHINAGAR: A day after BJP was voted back into office in Gujarat with a historic mandate, CM Bhupendra Patel and his cabinet members resigned on Friday to pave way for the formation of a new government.

The newly elected MLAs will meet at the state BJP headquarters on Saturday morning to choose their leader, who will then formally stake claim to form the government. Defence minister Rajnath Singh, Union tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda and former Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa have been appointed as the central observers for election of the leader of the legislature party, according to a BJP release.

Patel handed over his resignation to governor Acharya Devvrat at the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar. “Till the formation of the new government, Patel will remain as the caretaker CM,” party’s chief whip Pankaj Desai Desai told reporters later. The party had earlier announced that Patel would take oath as the next CM in Gandhinagar on Monday.