Mangubhai Patel, the veteran BJP politician, tall tribal leader and former RSS worker, has been appointed governor of Madhya Pradesh even as another senior Gujarat leader, Vajubhai Vala, 83, returns home after serving as Karnataka governor almost seven years.
While Thavarchand Gehlot replaces Vala as Karnataka governor, Mangubhai Patel will relieve Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel of the additional charge of MP. With his term as governor ending, Vala had expressed a desire to return to his home town, Rajkot. Patel meanwhile said he will do his best to fulfil his responsibilities as governor of MP.
Patel, 77, is a native of Navsari in South Gujarat and a well-known tribal leader of the BJP. “I will try my best to fulfil my responsibility as governor. The BJP is a party which believes in taking all communities along. I thank President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and other leaders for giving me this new responsibility,” Patel told mediapersons at his residence in Navsari.
“I will continue to walk the path shown by Modiji and am ready to serve the people in my new role,” said Patel, who had served as minister of tribal welfare, forests and environment in Gujarat when PM Modi was the CM. Patel also served as the Gujarat Assembly’s deputy speaker in 2013. A former RSS worker, Patel was born on June 1, 1944, at Navsari. He will be the 19th governor of MP
Vajubhai Vala was the sitting minister who had vacated his assembly seat for then Gujarat CM and now PM Narendra Modi to contest. After Vala’s appointment as Karnataka governor, present chief minister Vijay Rupani contested on the same seat in Rajkot and won.
Vajubhai Vala’s return to Rajkot sparked excitement among his friends and well wishers. Gunvant Delawala, his friend, said, “Vala could not come here for the last 18 months because of the Covid situation. Even after becoming governor, he used to attend social functions at home. He called me and said he is now coming back and again we will enjoy plays at Hemu Gadhvi Hall and dayras.” According to Delawala, Vajubhai is expected back in Rajkot in the next couple of days after he is relieved from his duty as governor of Karnataka.
Guessing game over new faces from Gujarat in PMs cabinet
Following the appointment of Mangubhai Patel as Rajasthan governor, speculation is rife about Gujarat leaders who could be accommodated in the likely reshuffle of the Union cabinet. At present, Gandhinagar MP Amit Shah is Union home minister, while three other ministers – S Jaishankar, Mansukh Mandaviya and Parshottam Rupala – are Rajya Sabha members from the state. There is a buzz that one or two new faces from the state could be inducted into the Union cabinet.
