In a major reshuffle of the Gujarat cabinet, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday expanded his council of ministers, inducting 19 new members and elevating Harsh Sanghavi to the position of Deputy Chief Minister. The oath-taking ceremony was held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar and administered by Governor Acharya Devvrat.
Sanghavi, a two-term MLA from Majura (Surat) and a rising young face in the BJP, previously served as Minister of State for Home. His promotion marks a significant elevation in state politics, as he becomes one of Gujarat’s youngest Deputy Chief Ministers.
The reshuffle saw all 16 ministers from the previous cabinet submit their resignations on Thursday, though six — Kanubhai Patel, Rushikesh Patel, Kunvarji Bavalia, Harsh Sanghavi, Praful Pansheriya, and Purshottam Solanki — were retained. Among them, only Sanghavi and Pansheriya took fresh oaths at Friday’s ceremony.
The new cabinet includes both fresh and familiar faces, such as Jitu Vaghani, Arjun Modhwadia, and Manisha Vakil. However, the most talked-about inclusion is Rivaba Jadeja, BJP MLA from Jamnagar North and wife of Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, who has been appointed Minister of State. Her induction is seen as a strategic political move ahead of upcoming electoral campaigns.
The cabinet reshuffle comes soon after the appointment of Jagdish Vishwakarma as the new state BJP president, signaling a broader organisational revamp within the party.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who took charge in September 2021 following Vijay Rupani’s resignation, continues to enjoy strong backing from the BJP’s central leadership as Gujarat gears up for key political challenges in the coming years.
