Gandhinagar : Gujarat assembly Speaker Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, named the new governor of Karnataka, is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The 76-year-old is a veteran Bharatiya Janata Party activist who started his political career with the erstwhile Jana Sangh.
A senior leader of the Patel community, Vala has held several ministerial portfolios in successive governments and at one time was a contender for the post of Gujarat chief minister.
Vala is also a former mayor of Rajkot.