Amit Shah will not take over as Gujarat Chief Minister after Anandiben Patel: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central leadership has dismissed reports that party chief Amit Shah may be asked to take over as Gujarat Chief Minister after Anandiben Patel resigns.

The BJP clarified on 3 August that a state MLA would be assigned the job, adding that two observers - Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey - would be sent to the state to hold talks with the legislators.

Talking to the media after the parliamentary party meeting, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said that a meeting of the Gujarat legislators would be called, during which a decision regarding the new Chief Minister would be taken.

"Central leadership Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey will attend the meeting. They will hold talks with the MLAs and others there and together they will decide the Chief Minister," he said.

Naidu also made it clear that there was no question of appointing the BJP president as the Gujarat Chief Minister. "Amit Shah will be part of the meeting and will consult everyone about selecting the (next) leader. There is no question of Amit Shah, he is the national president," he said.

The Union Minister praised Anandiben Patel for her decision to step down as the Gujarat Chief Minister citing age.

"The parliamentary board has accepted her wish after discussion. The parliamentary board has praised her for her leadership over all these years in different posts," he said.

--ANI