Anandiben Patel takes charge as Madhya Pradesh governor
The senior BJP leader and former Gujarat chief minister takes over from Om Prakash Kohli.
Former Gujarat Chief Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Anandiben Patel was on Tuesday sworn in as the governor of Madhya Pradesh, PTI reported. Her name was announced for the post on January 19.
Madhya Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Hemant Gupta administered the oath of office to Patel at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan in Bhopal.
Patel will take over from Om Prakash Kohli, who is the governor of Gujarat and was holding additional charge of the office of the Madhya Pradesh governor.
Patel became chief minister of Gujarat in 2014, after Narendra Modi was elected the prime minister. In August 2016, she announced she was stepping down, and said someone younger should take the job. She turned 75 in November 2016.
Patel’s announcement came at a time when Gujarat was rocked by two two major protests – the Patidar agitation for quotas and the demonstrations by Dalits after four tanners were beaten up by cow vigilantes in Una.