Former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel has been named the next Madhya Pradesh Governor.
She replaces Om Prakash Kohli, who has additional charge of the office of MP Governor along with the office of Gujarat Governor.
“The President of India is pleased to appoint Smt. Anandiben Patel to be the Governor of Madhya Pradesh, with effect from the date she assumes charge of her office,” announced the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Twitter.
A protege of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ms. Patel succeeded Mr. Modi as Gujarat CM after the 2014 parliamentary polls. In 2016, she resigned as CM on the ground that she was completing 75 years so decided to step down in keeping with the party’s tradition of age criterion.
In her Facebook post about the resignation, she hinted at an unwritten rule set by PM Narendra Modi that mandates party leaders above the age of 75 to quit the executive post in the government.
In the recently held assembly polls in Gujarat, Ms. Patel did not contest, claiming her age to be the reason.
After her resignation as CM, BJP had appointed Vijay Rupani, a protege of Party President Amit Shah. According to party insiders, Mr. Shah and Ms. Patel did not enjoy good relations and were always political rivals in the state politics.
She has become the second BJP leader from the state to be appointed as Governor after Vajubhai Vala, currently Karnataka Governor.
