“I was allowed to serve the state for five years. I have contributed to the development of the state. I will further do whatever is asked by my party,” Rupani told reporters after he met Governor Acharya Devvrat and put in his papers.
Rupani dodged questions on why he had to step down, saying , “In BJP, there has been a tradition that responsibilities of party workers change from time to time.”
He added that he was grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the opportunity, and that he was ready to take whatever responsibility he would give him the future.
This is the fourth chief minister of a BJP-ruled state to step down with elections round the corner. In Uttarakhand, Trivendra Singh Rawat made way for Tirath Singh Rawat, who then made way for Pushkar Singh Dhami; and in Karnataka, BS Yediyurappa was replaced by Basavaraj Bommai.
Rupani, 61, first became chief minister on August 7, 2016, following the resignation of incumbent Anandiben Patel, and continued in office after the BJP’s victory in the 2017 Assembly elections.
It is still early to figure out whether it was infighting, anti-incumbency or the search for a better caste equation that prompted Rupani’s exit. He on his part denied that he had any differences with state BJP president CR Paatil.
“In BJP, it is like a relay race for party workers. One gives the baton to the other,” he said.
When his turn came to pass on the baton, Rupani along with cabinet colleagues Nitin Patel, Bhupndrasinh Chudasama and Pradeepsinh Jadeja met the governor and submitted their resignations.
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