Gujarat Assembly elections 2017: Star candidate – Nitin Patel

Gujarat's Deputy Chief Minister is looking to retain his seat in the Mehsana constituency.

Nitin Patel, 61, is the incumbent Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat. He is looking to retain his seat in the Mehsana Constituency.

Patel was among the favourites to take over as Chief Minister after the resignation of Anandiben Patel in 2016 in the wake of the Patidar reservation agitation. He took charge as the Deputy Chief Minister to Vijay Rupani.

Patel was first elected to the Gujarat Assembly election in 1990 from the Kadi constituency. He was reelected from the same constituency in 1995 and 1998, before losing in the 2002 election by a slender margin. He won in Kadi again in 2007. He moved to the Mahesana constituency and won in the 2012 election.

Nitin Patel became a minister in the Gujarat cabinet in 1995, with charge of the Health Department. In 1999, he was appointed the minister for Small and Medium Irrigation; and Roads and Buildings Department. He was given charge of the key Finance portfolio in 2001 and was shifted to the Revenue portfolio un 2002.

From 2007, he was minister for Irrigation, Water Supply, Urban Development Housing. His profile saw significant expansion when he was minister for Finance, Health, Medical Education, Family Welfare and Transport from 2012. He retained a high profile in the government till his appointment as Deputy Chief Minister in 2016.

Patel was born in Visnagar. He dropped out in the second year of college had worked in the cotton and oil businesses before his entry into politics.