Bhupendra Patel to be first Gujarat CM in 25 years to make official US visit

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will visit the US and Canada from August 17 to 24, becoming the first sitting Gujarat CM in 25 years to make an official visit to the US.

Patel will travel with a high-level delegation to invite industrialists, investors and technology leaders to the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2027, state minister and government spokesperson Jitu Vaghani said on Wednesday.

The visit will also mark the launch of Gujarat's efforts to attract foreign investment for the upcoming summit, Vaghani said after a state Cabinet meeting.

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Why Patel's US Visit Matters

This will mark the first time since 1995 that a sitting CM will make an official visit to the US, The Indian Express reported, citing government sources.

"Last time, it was the then Gujarat CM, Keshubhai Patel, who had officially visited the US," a senior government functionary was quoted as saying.

Keshubhai Patel, then Gujarat CM, visited the US in 1995 and in April 2000 on a week-long official tour.

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Narendra Modi, who succeeded Keshubhai Patel as Gujarat CM, was denied a US visa in 2005. He visited the US only after becoming Prime Minister in 2014.

After Modi became Prime Minister, his successor Anandiben Patel chose China for her first foreign visit as Gujarat CM in 2015. She is now the governor of Uttar Pradesh.

Vijay Rupani, who served as Gujarat CM from 2016 to 2021, visited Russia during his second stint in office but did not undertake an official US-Canada tour.

Rupani did, however, meet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during Trudeau's visit to Gujarat in 2018.

Patel's August visit will therefore be the first official US trip by a sitting Gujarat chief minister since the Keshubhai Patel visit 25 years ago.

Patel's government aims to attract maximum investment through the 2027 summit, Jitu Vaghani said.

The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit was launched in 2003, when Narendra Modi was the Gujarat chief minister. It has since become a major platform for the state to showcase investment opportunities and attract domestic and global investors.

The 10th edition of the biennial summit was held in January 2024.