Chimanbhai Patel - Political Career

Political Career

He has been elected as MLA from Sankheda in 1967 and joined the Cabinet of Hitendra K Desai. He also became the minister in the Cabinet of Ghanshyambhai C. Oza. On 17 July 1973, he toppled the Ghanshyambhai C. Oza government and became the Chief minister. He served in that office till 9 February 1974. Chimanbhai Patel was forced out of office in the 1974 by the Navnirman movement on charges of corruption. After being expelled from the party, he helped in the formation of Janata Morcha government in the leadership of Babubhai J Patel. He came back to power on 4 March 1990 as the head of a Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition government. On breaking of the coalition on 25 October 1990, he managed to retain his post with the help of 34 legislatures of Congress. Later he joined the congress and continued till his death on 17 February 1994.

He is regarded as the visionary leader and architect of Modern Industrial Gujarat. It was him who had visualized the 'Narmada Dam Project' in his first term as chief minister and the Narmada Dam effectively was built in his second term. He considered Narmada dam as the life line of Gujarat.

He is also the first Chief Minister who ushered development of ports of Gujarat, refineries and power plants by private parties as part of his industrialization master plan of Gujarat. During his second term he was the first Chief Minister of India to pass a bill for ban of cow slaughter and all sale of meat on all Hindu and Jain festival days.