Big Gujarat reshuffle, Harsh Sanghavi is Deputy Chief Minister, 19 fresh faces

Gujarat’s BJP administration announced a new 25-member cabinet on Friday. State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi was sworn in as the deputy chief minister, and Rivaba Jadeja, the wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadega, was appointed as a minister.

In the presence of Governor Acharya Devvrat, Sanghavi, who defeated an AAP candidate by more than one lakh votes in the 2022 Assembly elections, took the oath of office as Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel’s deputy in Gandhinagar’s Raj Bhavan. Rishikesh Patel, Kanubhai Desai, Kunwarji Bavaliya, Praful Panseria, Parshottam Solanki, and Sanghavi himself were among the six ministers who returned to the new Cabinet.

Since their roles remained the same, the four ministers who kept their portfolios—Parshottam Solanki (minister of state), Kunwarji Bavaliya, Kanubhai Desai, and Rishikesh Patel—did not retake the oath. The new leaders who were inducted into the Cabinet today are Trikam Chhang, Swaroopji Thakor, Praveen Mali, PC Baranda, Darshana Vaghela, Kantilal Amritiya, Arjun Modhwadia, Pradyumn Vaja, Kaushik Vekaria, Jitendrabhai Vaghani, Ramanbhai Solanki, Kamleshbhai Patel, Sanjay Singh Mahida, Rameshbhai Katara, Prafull Panseria, Manisha Vakil, Ishwarsinh Patel, Dr. Jayrambhai Gamit, and Nareshbhai Patel.

Eight ministers from OBC communities, six Patidars, four tribals, three Scheduled Castes, two Kshatriyas, and one each from the Brahmin and Jain (Laghumati) communities made up the new cabinet’s caste makeup.

Gujarat’s cabinet reshuffle today was the biggest since previous Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his whole ministry resigned in September 2021, allegedly in response to orders from the BJP high command.

Following Bhupendra Patel Governor Devvrat, the oath-taking ceremony was held, and he was briefed on the Gujarat Cabinet’s current state. With the exception of the chief minister, all 16 ministers tendered their resignations on Thursday. Gujarat’s Assembly, which consists of 182 members, is limited to 27 ministers, or 15% of the House’s total strength.  On December 12, 2022, Bhupendra Patel was sworn in for a second term as Gujarat’s chief minister. He just finished his fifth year in office.