Chimanbhai Patel

Chimanbhai Patel
5th Chief Minister of Gujarat
In office
18 July 1973  9 February 1974
Preceded by Ghanshyam Oza
Succeeded by President's rule
Constituency Sankheda
In office
4 March 1990  17 February 1994
Preceded by Madhavsinh Solanki
Succeeded by Chhabildas Mehta
Personal details
Born 3 June 1929
Sankheda, Bombay Presidency, British India
Died 17 February 1994 (aged 64)
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Political party Indian National Congress
Spouse(s) Urmila Patel
Children Siddharth Patel, Suhrud Patel, Sujata Patel
Residence Revaranya, Ahmedabad

Chimanbhai Patel (3 June 1929 - 17 February 1994) was an Indian politician associated with Indian National Congress and Janata Dal, and a former Chief Minister of Gujarat state in India representing both those parties at various times.

Born and Education

He was born on 3 June 1929 in Chikodra village of Sankheda Tehsil in Vadodara district. He was elected the first president of student union of The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in Vadodara in 1950. He has completed his Masters in Economics from that university.

Political career

He was elected to the Gujarat Legislative Assembly from Sankheda in 1967 and joined the Cabinet of Hitendra K Desai. He also became the minister in the Cabinet of Ghanshyam Oza.

Chief Minister

On 17 July 1973, he replaced Ghanshyam Oza as the Chief minister of Gujarat. He served in that office till 9 February 1974. Chimanbhai Patel was forced out of office in the 1974 by the Nav Nirman 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 again became the chief minister on 4 March 1990 heading 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 Indian National Congress (INC). Later he joined INC and continued till his death on 17 February 1994.

Narmada dam

He is regarded as the visionary leader and architect of Modern Industrial Gujarat. It was he 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 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.[1] He died in office on 17 February 1994, aged 65.

References

Preceded by
Ghanshyambhai C. Oza
Chief Minister of Gujarat
18 July 1973 – 9 February 1974
Succeeded by
Shri Babubhai J. Patel
Preceded by
Madhavsinh Solanki
Chief Minister of Gujarat
4 March 1990 – 17 February 1994
Succeeded by
Chhabildas Mehta
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