New Delhi: Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Sunday said Bhupendra Patel would be the last chief minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat as the people of the state have decided to throw the “anti-poor” and “anti-youth” saffron party out of power at least for the next 25 years.


Hardik Patel in an open letter addressed to the CM-designate asked what he can achieve in one year that the BJP could not in the last 25 years.


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“BJP has given you this responsibility a few months before the elections to hide its failure, but what can you do in one year (Assembly election is due in Gujarat in December 2022) what your party could not do in 25 years for education, health, women, youth and farmers, for the most vulnerable sections of Gujarat?” asked Hardik, who is the Gujarat Congress’ working president, PTI reported.


“The BJP has appointed in you its last chief minister because the people of Gujarat have made up their mind to throw the anti-poor, anti-youth BJP out of power, at least for the next 25 years. Now time has come to change the entire government and not just the chief minister,” he added.


Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Raghav Chadha on Sunday claimed the growing influence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led party in Gujarat compelled the BJP to change the chief minister in the state.


“Whenever the Aam Aadmi Party enters a state, turbulence in the political spectrum is observed. So far, there has been a convenient musical chair between the Congress and the BJP in states. After the emergence of the AAP, the people got to know about the power of the Opposition,” Chadha said, ANI reported.


Chadha further said the “inefficient Congress gradually went on the back foot after the AAP started playing the role of Opposition from the front”.


“There was no one who challenged the non-performing chief minister or the government in the state. The Congress does not have that ability as it is a compromised Opposition. It is the AAP that has challenged the BJP. It came under pressure. The AAP made the BJP understand: either perform or perish,” Chadha said.


“Be it Uttarakhand or Gujarat where the AAP has entered the BJP had to change the chief ministers. They changed the chief minister in Uttarakhand several times. Now is the time for Gujarat. The influence of the AAP is growing in Gujarat. The AAP is the big reason that BJP needs to change the chief minister in Gujarat,” he added


Ending all speculations, the BJP earlier in the day named Bhupendra Patel as the next Chief Minister of Gujarat.


59-year-old Patel, who was elected the leader of the legislature party after a meeting held in Gandhinagar, will succeed Vijay Rupani to the top post.


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He will be sworn-in as the chief minister on Monday.


This came after Rupani in a surprise move tendered his resignation earlier on Saturday 15 months ahead of the assembly polls.