Ahmedabad, Gujarat BJP president Chandrakant Raghunath Patil, who led the party to a record victory in the state assembly elections in 2022 and earned praise for its landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections, was on Sunday inducted into the Narendra Modi government.
Patil, who won his fourth term as MP from Navsari in south Gujarat, won the 2019 election by a record margin of 6.89 lakh votes, bettering it in 2024 by winning by 7.73 lakh votes. His victory margin in the 2014 elections was a record in Gujarat and the third largest in the country.
Born in Pimpri Akraut village in Jalgaon district of neighboring Maharashtra, the 69-year-old leader is the only non-Gujarati to lead the party in the state. He was a police constable for 14 years before leaving the job in 1984 after attempting to start a union in the force.Before getting party responsibilities, he launched the Gujarati daily 'Navgujarat Times' in 1991, which marked the beginning of an illustrious political career.
He joined the BJP in 1989 and was made the treasurer of Surat city and then the vice president of the unit there. He came in close contact with Narendra Modi in 1995 when Narendra Modi was the state general secretary of BJP. Patil was later appointed as the Chairman of the state PSU Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited in 1998.
Patil, Lok Sabha MP from Navsari since 2009, was made the state BJP chief in July 2020, replacing Jitu Vaghani.In his role as MP, Patil has served as a member of various standing committees, including those on Housing and Urban Affairs, Government Assurances, Urban Development, Defense and Science and Technology and Environment and Forests.
Known for his easy connect with the public and his ability to reach out to them in times of need, Patil courted controversy when he announced free distribution of Remdesivir injections to the needy during the COVID-19 pandemic in his hometown Surat. . Times when vital medicines were in short supply.
Despite the BJP proudly claiming that it will score a hat-trick of clean sweeps in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat, the party won 25 out of 26 seats in the state, while Banaskantha lost to the Congress.
Patil, who won his fourth term as MP from Navsari in south Gujarat, won the 2019 election by a record margin of 6.89 lakh votes, bettering it in 2024 by winning by 7.73 lakh votes. His victory margin in the 2014 elections was a record in Gujarat and the third largest in the country.
Born in Pimpri Akraut village in Jalgaon district of neighboring Maharashtra, the 69-year-old leader is the only non-Gujarati to lead the party in the state. He was a police constable for 14 years before leaving the job in 1984 after attempting to start a union in the force.Before getting party responsibilities, he launched the Gujarati daily 'Navgujarat Times' in 1991, which marked the beginning of an illustrious political career.
He joined the BJP in 1989 and was made the treasurer of Surat city and then the vice president of the unit there. He came in close contact with Narendra Modi in 1995 when Narendra Modi was the state general secretary of BJP. Patil was later appointed as the Chairman of the state PSU Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited in 1998.
Patil, Lok Sabha MP from Navsari since 2009, was made the state BJP chief in July 2020, replacing Jitu Vaghani.In his role as MP, Patil has served as a member of various standing committees, including those on Housing and Urban Affairs, Government Assurances, Urban Development, Defense and Science and Technology and Environment and Forests.
Known for his easy connect with the public and his ability to reach out to them in times of need, Patil courted controversy when he announced free distribution of Remdesivir injections to the needy during the COVID-19 pandemic in his hometown Surat. . Times when vital medicines were in short supply.
Despite the BJP proudly claiming that it will score a hat-trick of clean sweeps in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat, the party won 25 out of 26 seats in the state, while Banaskantha lost to the Congress.
