NEW DELHI: The choice of Urjit Patel as RBI governor was made by PM Narendra Modi himself. The choice had come down to a contest between Patel and Subramanian, these officials said.Patel got the nod because he was always the PM's first choice. As for the timing of the announcement, officials said the government leadership always intended to keep a short overlap between the incoming and outgoing RBI governors. All officials who spoke to ET for this report did so on the condition they not be identified.To be sure, a rigorous selection process had been put in place by the Centre to select the new RBI governor. The PM had always been clear that impeccable technical credentials and quiet, low-key approach are the best qualities for an RBI governor, an official said.

Source: Economic Times August 23, 2016 19:38 UTC