FORMER GUJARAT CM ANANDIBEN PATEL TO BE MP’S NEXT GOVERNOR

NEW DELHI: Former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel is set to become the next governor of BJPruled Madhya Pradesh, government sources said on Friday.

Patel succeeded Narendra Modi when the latter resigned from the Gujarat assembly to become the Prime Minister in 2014. Her tenure as chief minister of Gujarat, however, didn’t last beyond two years and Vijay Rupani took over from her in August 2016 and retained charge after BJP’s victory in last year’s assembly elections .

The current governor of Madhya Pradesh, Om Prakash Kohli, holds dual charge of Gujarat since 2016. After Patel’s appointment, Kohli will continue with that responsibility.

As a chief minister of Gujarat, a crucial state for the BJP, Patel faced a key challenge during the Patidar agitation within a year of her assuming office. As her administration failed to curb the agitation, the BJP paid a heavy price in the local body elections.

Later, her administration was accused of wasting time in taking action in the Una incident where Dalit boys were flogged in public.. Adding to her woes were accusations of her daughter’s business partners getting undue favours in a huge land deal..

THE CURRENT GOVERNOR OF MADHYA PRADESH, OM PRAKASH KOHLI, HOLDS DUAL CHARGE OF GUJARAT SINCE 2016