In a sudden turn of events, Gujarat's Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, on Monday in a Facebook post offered her resignation citing that she will turn 75 in November  and if a new incumbent steps in now, he/she will get enough time to prepare for the upcoming elections in Gujarat, as well as important events like Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017. Anandiben Patel maintained that her decision to resign came as she will soon turn 75 - an unwritten age cap the PM imposed in the BJP for the top positions.

Patel had been Modi’s protégé when he left the state - projected as a development success story - in her hands in 2014, when he moved to the Centre as PM. She had been in BJP government since 1998. She was Gujarat’s first woman chief minister, who succeeded Modi on May 22, 2014. But Patel's standing weakened after a series of caste-driven protests, which could be politically damaging for Modi. They have also disrupted parliamentary proceedings and may affect state elections in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh in 2017. Shortly after Gujarat Chief Minster Anandiben Patel offered to quit her position thatthe Opposition geared up its guns to knock down BJP’s strategies. While Arvind Kejriwal believes that the growing popularity of AAP has made Patel resign,Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi thinks that Patel is a scapegoat, who is being sacrificed by BJP.