Harsh Sanghavi appointed Gujarat Deputy CM in major Cabinet reshuffle; six ministers retain their positions
PTC Web Desk: The BJP government in Gujarat announced a major Cabinet reshuffle on Friday, unveiling a 25-member team led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi took oath as the new Deputy Chief Minister, while cricketer Ravindra Jadeja’s wife, Rivaba Jadeja, was inducted as a minister for the first time.
Harsh Sanghavi, who won the 2022 Assembly elections with a massive margin of over one lakh votes against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate, was sworn in as the Deputy CM during a ceremony held at Raj Bhawan in Gandhinagar. The event was attended by Governor Acharya Devvrat and other senior leaders.
The new Cabinet features a blend of experienced leaders and fresh faces. Six ministers, Rishikesh Patel, Kanubhai Desai, Kunwarji Bavaliya, Praful Panseria, Parshottam Solanki and Harsh Sanghavi, have retained their positions. Four among them, whose portfolios remain unchanged, did not take the oath again.
Newly inducted ministers include 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.
The Cabinet has eight ministers from Other Backward Classes (OBCs), six from the Patidar community, four tribals, three from Scheduled Castes (SCs), two Kshatriyas, and one each from Brahmin and Jain (Laghumati) communities.
This marks the state’s biggest Cabinet overhaul since September 2021, when former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his entire Council of Ministers resigned following directions from the BJP high command. The reshuffle was carried out after all 16 ministers, except the Chief Minister, submitted their resignations on Thursday.
Gujarat’s 182-member Assembly allows a maximum of 27 ministers, as per the 15 per cent limit of the total House strength. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who took office for the second time on December 12, 2022, recently completed five years in leadership.
- With inputs from agencies
