Gandhinagar | In a sweeping government revamp, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday administered oaths to 21 legislators—including 19 new faces—as ministers, raising the total strength of the cabinet to 26. Among the new ministers are 12 first‑time MLAs. Only five ministers from the previous cabinet remained unaltered. Notably, Harsh Sanghavi has been promoted to Deputy Chief Minister. Meanwhile, Rivaba Jadeja, wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, was among the fresh inductions.
The reshuffle followed the collective resignation of 16 ministers on Thursday. Of those, 10 were accepted, while six ministers—among them Sanghavi and Pansheriya—were retained (or re‑sworn) on Friday. With the new appointees, the cabinet has grown from 17 to 26 members; the state allows up to 27 ministers. Three of the ministers are women.
Highlights of the reshuffle:
Harsh Sanghavi, previously Home Minister, is now Deputy Chief Minister and holds important responsibilities including Home Affairs.
Rivaba Jadeja has been inducted as a Minister of State, marking her debut in the cabinet.
The caste and community composition of the new cabinet has been carefully balanced: including Patidars, OBCs, Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Castes (SC) among the ministers.
The changes are widely seen as a preparatory move ahead of the 2027 assembly elections and upcoming local body polls.
The restructuring underscores the BJP’s attempt to refresh its leadership pool, involve newer legislators and recalibrate regional and community representation in Gujarat’s governance.
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