Gujarat Ex-CM Anandiben Patel in new roll; Succeeds Om Prakash Kohli as M.P governor

Former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel has been appointed governor of Madhya Pradesh. Patel was first woman chief minister of Gujarat and stepped down in the wake of Patidar and Dalit agitation in the state in 2016.

Patel’s appointment is meant to placate the Patidar community while keeping her out of state politics. Hailing from an agriculturist family in Vijapur in Mehsana district, Patel had joined BJP as the president of party’s women wing in 1986.

She was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1994. In 1998, she became education minister of Gujarat. She retained the portfolio after being re-elected in 2002 from Patan. In 2012, Patel shifted Ghatlodia in Ahmedabad.

She succeeded PM Narendra Modi when he moved on to Delhi as the CM of Gujarat.

“She is a daughter of a farmer, who went on to become the first woman chief minister of Gujarat and now the first woman governor from the state. This indeed is a moment of pride for Gujarat,” BJP spokesperson said.