Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Monday offered to resign from the position, requesting party leadership to relieve her of her responsibilities. The 74-year-old made the announcement in a Facebook post, citing her age as the reason. She also handed her resignation to state Bharatiya Janata Party president Vijay Rupani, who accepted it, according to News 18.
Patel, who turns 75 in November, said the party "will accept responsibility from senior voluntary workers after 75 years of age". She added that this will give her the opportunity to "work in the next generation". Patel expressed her gratitude for being given the responsibility of leading the state and also mentioned the "inherently complex task" of succeeding Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the position.
BJP President Amit Shah confirmed that they had received Patel's letter of resignation. He said it will be forwarded to the party's parliamentary board to decide on a further course of action, ANI reported. Patel believes that the new chief minister should be given enough time to prepare for the Vibrant Gujarat Summit scheduled for January, according to Shah.
The first woman chief minister of the state, Patel was appointed to the post in May 2014, after the Narendra Modi government came to power in the Centre. Patel's resignation comes a day after thousands of Dalits in Gujarat took to the streets of Ahmedabad to protest against the flogging of a family by cow vigilantes in Una for skinning a dead animal. They told the state government they will stop disposing of dead cattle and cleaning sewers.
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