Gujarat cabinet gets 26 ministers; Harsh Sanghavi becomes Deputy CM, Rivaba Jadeja gets education

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel recast his cabinet on Friday by expanding it to include 26 ministers as new inductees took oath in a ceremony at the Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre in Gandhinagar. The move introduces several fresh faces into the government, just three years into its term and two years ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi took oath as the state’s Deputy Chief Minister, while cricketer Ravindra Jadeja’s wife, Rivaba Jadeja, also became a minister. Sanghvi is also the youngest to hold the position of Deputy Chief Minister in the state’s history. The BJP-led Gujarat government now has a new cabinet with 26 ministers. Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath to the new inductees. CM Bhupendra Patel inducted 19 fresh faces in his council of ministers and retained six from his previous team.

The ministers who took the oath included Swaroopji Thakor, Pravenkumar Mali, Rushikesh Patel, Darshna Waghela, Kunvarji Bavaliya, Rivaba Jadeja, Arjun Modhwadia, Parshottam Solanki, Jitendra Waghani, Praful Pansheriya, and Kanubhai Desai.

The cabinet was recast a day after all 16 ministers submitted their resignations.

This was the first major cabinet reshuffle after Bhupendra Patel, who replaced late Vijay Rupani as chief minister in 2021, led the BJP to a landslide victory in the 2022 state assembly polls.

Later, CM Bhupendra Patel allocated portfolios to the minister and kept General Administration, Administrative Reforms and Training and other departments with himself.

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Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi has been given Home, Police Housing, Jail, Border Security, Gram Rakshak Dal, Civil Defence, Prohibition and Excise, Transport, Law and Justice, Sports and Youth Services and other departments, while Kanubhai Mohanlal Desai has been allotted Finance, Urban Development and Urban Housing departments.

Rushikesh Ganeshbhai Patel has been assigned Energy and Petrochemicals, Panchayat and Rural Housing, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs, while Rivaba Ravindrasinh Jadeja becomes Primary, Secondary and Adult Education minister.

CM Bhupendra Patel later held a cabinet meeting.

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Earlier on Thursday, all 16 ministers, except CM Bhupendra Patel, resigned. Gujarat’s 182-member assembly allows a maximum of 27 ministers, or 15% of its strength. Previously, the Council of Ministers had 17 members, including eight cabinet ministers and eight ministers of state.