NEW DELHI, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's close aide and former Chief Minister of his homestate of Gujarat, Anandiben Patel, was Tuesday appointed as the second woman governor of the central state of Madhya Pradesh ahead of assembly elections.

The 74-year-old politician was appointed as the Chief Minister of Gujarat by Modi in 2014 after he stepped down from the post to become India's Prime Minister when his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party won the general elections.

Patel has been a minister in the Gujarat government since 1998 and built a reputation as a tough administrator like her predecessor Modi. But she was removed as Gujarat's Chief Minister in 2016, following her failure to stop massive protests for reservation across the state.