Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel is set for a repeat win; the victory margin is nearly 2 lakhs

He belongs to the Kadva sub-caste of the Patidar community and has a diploma in civil engineering.

Patel, 59, was a councillor in Thaltej from 2010 to 2015. He also served as the president of Memnagagar Nagarpalika in 1999-2000 and as the chairperson of the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority. He has been the chairperson of the standing committee of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation twice in the past.

He is also associated with social work in Ahmedabad and is a trustee of the Sardardham Vishwa Patidar Kendra, an organisation dedicated to the socio-economic development of the Patidar community.

Patel won the 2017 Gujarat Legislative Assembly polls from the Ghatlodia constituency, defeating Congress candidate Shashikant Patel by over one lakh votes, which was the highest winning margin in the 2017 assembly elections.

After Vijay Rupani's surprise resignation last year, the BJP chose Patel, the Patidar MLA to get the caste equation right before the 2022 Gujarat assembly polls.

Before that, Patel never held a ministerial post, just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had never been a minister before he became Gujarat CM 20 years ago.

The 2022 Gujarat assembly election will decide if the BJP, under the leadership of Bhupendra Patel, can secure a seventh consecutive term in the state.