Vijay Rupani Resigns As CM, 4th Chief Minister To Quit In 6 Months
Vijay Rupani has resigned as Chief Minister. On Saturday he became the fourth BJP leader to step down as Chief Minister of a party-ruled state in six months.
Mr Rupani has resigned a year ahead of elections in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state – elections the BJP views as a major prestige battle as it bids to secure a fifth straight term in power.
His resignation follows that of BS Yedyurappa and a double whammy in Uttarakhand, where Tirath Singh Rawat quit barely four months after replacing Trivendra Rawat. Both Gujarat and Uttarakhand will go to polls early next year.
BS Yediyurappa resigned following resentment against him and his son, and unrelenting calls for his removal by a section of the party’s state unit. In Uttarakhand, the party was forced to replace Trivendra Rawat after similarly fierce opposition from within its ranks.
Tirath Rawat’s stint was full of controversies. The BJP’s Uttarakhand leaders had complained to the Delhi leadership about public outrage at some of his pronouncements, including bewildering remarks about the United States, and not Britain, ruling India for 200 years.
Like Gujarat and Uttarakhand, UP will also vote in 2022. The populous state is widely seen as a bellwether of how the 2024 Lok Sabha election might play out, making it another prestige battle for the BJP. In the last elections, BJP had swept 62 of the 80 seats in 2019.
