Vijay Rupani is an RSS member since school days

Ahmedabad, Aug 7 () Vijay Rupani, who today became the Gujarat Chief Minister, has been a devoted member of RSS since his school days and has apparently been rewarded for his proximity to BJP chief Amit Shah.

The 60-year-old first time MLA is known for his hard work and keeps a low profile. His elevation to the top post is also seen as recognition of his Jain community, which was recently accorded minority status by the state government.

Rupani, who wields considerable influence in Saurashtra, a politically significant part of Gujarat, celebrated his birthday on August 2 with his wife and son at their house in Rajkot, his native town.

He was born in Rangoon, now Yangon, in Myanmar in 1956 and grew up in Rajkot where he joined RSS as a school boy. He pursued BA and then LLB.

As the chairman of the state tourism corporation, he headed "Khushbu Gujarat Ki" campaign to popularise the state as a tourist destination.

As a Rajya Sabha member from 2006-12, he was part of various parliamentary committees on water resources, food, public distribution, public undertaking, among others.

He was appointed the chairman of the Gujarat Municipal Finance Board in 2013. In October 2014, he won the Assembly bypolls from Rajkot West with a good margin after sitting MLA Vajubhai Vala resigned on becoming the Governor of Karnataka.

He had on February 19 become the state BJP chief, replacing R C Faldu, which was seen as a victory for the Amit Shah faction in the party's state unit.

Rupani, who served as the Transport Minister in Anandiben Patel's Cabinet cut his teeth into politics in his college days when he joined ABVP, and got involved the Navnirman student's agitation against corruption in public life in the 1970s.

He was among the first to join the agitation on the call given by Jayprakash Narayan and had also spent nearly one year in Bhuj and Bhavnagar jails during the Emergency.

Rupani was elected as Rajkot civic body corporator for the first time in 1987, and was later appointed as the president of the city's BJP unit.

Between 1988 and 1996, he served as the chairman of the Standing Committee of Rajkot Corporation and in 1996-97, he became the Mayor.

His is also recognised for his efforts to develop Rajkot as an industrial hub in the Saurashtra region.
Rupani has the distinction of serving as the state BJP's general secretary four times on the trot. He was also the party spokesperson at the state level. KA PD GK GVS SC GVS SMJ
Source;-indiatimes
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Gujarat’s newly formed Cabinet will ensure it remains progressive: BJP

Following the appointment of state unit chief Vijay Rupani as the next Chief Minister of Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asserted that the newly formed cabinet will continue the developmental work in the state and ensure that Gujarat remains one of the high-progressive states in the country.

Speaking to ANI here, BJP leader Nalin Kohli said the new Gujarat cabinet’s strategy will be nothing but to continue the already good work in the state by the previous government.

“This is a decision of the legislative party. The Central party had already authorised our senior leaders and they were there also as observers. Now the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister, the Cabinet that will be formed, they will start working towards Gujarat and continue the work happening there and ensure that Gujarat remain one of the high progressed state in the country,” he said.

Meanwhile, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for reposing faith in him, Rupani asserted that his team is fully committed to harnessing aspirations of the poor, marginalised, farmers and youngsters.

“Humbled and honoured at the opportunity to serve the state of Gujarat and work for the welfare & all round development of the state. I thank PM Narendra Modi & BJP president Amit Shah for reposing faith in a humble karyakarta like me & giving me this opportunity,” Rupani said in a series of tweets.

He also thanked the leadership of his predecessor Anandiben Patel saying that she had led Gujarat and enriched the development journey of the state.

“Team Gujarat is fully committed to harnessing aspirations of the poor, marginalised, farmers & youngsters in the efforts for #TransformingIndia,” he added.

Yesterday, in a crucial meeting attended by Amit Shah and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari at the party headquarters in the state, the decision to make Rupani as the next Chief Minister was announced.

Gujarat’s health minister Nitin Patel was appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister.

The decision comes as a major twist as Patel was the frontrunner for the post after Rupani had bowed out from the race, saying he would like to work for the party.

The BJP central leadership had already made it clear that a state MLA would be assigned the job.

Anandiben Patel had tendered her resignation to the Governor on Wednesday.

Governor OP Kohli has asked her to continue as the care taker chief minster till the alternate arrangement.

Patel, who took charge as Gujarat’s first woman chief minister after Narendra Modi took charge as the Prime Minister, citing age issues had in her Facebook post earlier urged the BJP to relieve her from the coveted post.

Patel said that she had two months earlier sought to resign from the party to give “enough time to the new incumbent to prepare for important events like the upcoming ‘Vibrant Gujarat Summit’.

Her government was criticised for its handling of the outrage created by the public flogging of four Dalit men by self-styled cow protection groups.
Source:-indianexpress
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