Gujarat Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel was on Wednesday elected leader of the BJP Legislature Party and will succeed Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi as Chief Minister of the State.
The 73-year-old Ms. Patel’s name was proposed and adopted unanimously at a meeting of the Legislature Party in the presence of Mr. Modi, who had moments earlier resigned as the Chief Minister.
Mr. Modi’s close aide Amit Shah and BJP general secretary Thavar Chand Ghelot were also present.
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Mr. Modi, the longest-serving Chief Minister of the State, who led BJP to a spectacular victory in the Lok Sabha elections, will take over as Prime Minister on Monday.
Ms. Patel will be the first woman Chief Minister of Gujarat.
In her acceptance speech, Ms. Patel turned emotional and thanked Mr. Modi and others for making her the Chief Minister.
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Ms. Patel, considered to be very close to Mr. Modi, is minister of Revenue and Urban Development in the Modi government. She was also a minister in the government of Mr. Modi’s predecessor Keshubhai Patel.
A school teacher by profession, she had left her job to join politics.