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Chimanbhai Patel

Chimanbhai Patel

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 & 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 done Masters in Economics from that university.

Political Carrier :

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.