The BJP, which registered a thumping victory in Gujarat, declared that Bhupendra Patel will continue as the chief minister.
Patel won the Ghatlodia seat in Ahmedabad by a huge margin of 1.92 lakh votes.
The party leadership, including Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, had made it clear ahead of the polls that Patel, who took over as chief minister in September 2021 after the resignation of Vijay Rupani as CM, would retain the post if the party were to retain power.
BJP Gujarat president C.R. Paatil said Bhupendra Patil, a Patidar community leader, will take oath on December 12.
Bhupendra Patil was not a known face outside Ahmedabad or within the party, before he was picked up by the party leadership to head the government in the state. He had won his first assembly election only in 2017.
When the party decided to effect a regime change, Bhupendra Patil had the role cut out for him—stay off the radar, focus on development and avoid controversies. These he did, to the best of his abilities, and the party appears to have rewarded him for the same, trusting him again to head the state.