Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government led by the BJP underwent a major cabinet reshuffle on Friday, marked by several significant changes in leadership.
State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi was elevated to the post of Deputy Chief Minister, while Rivaba Jadeja, the wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, was sworn in as one of the new ministers.
Governor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath of office to 26 ministers, including Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. During the ceremony, each minister reportedly held a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a gesture widely viewed as a symbolic reaffirmation of the government’s ideological leanings.
Political observers noted that the reshuffle combined factors of caste representation, political influence, and strategic messaging. The new cabinet features 19 fresh faces, replacing several senior and Congress-origin leaders, TNIE reported.
The composition reflects an emphasis on social balance, with reports indicating that the council includes seven Patidars, eight OBCs, three from Scheduled Castes, four from Scheduled Tribes, and three women.
The oath-taking event was seen as a carefully choreographed political move, projecting both stability and a controlled shift in power. Out of the 26 ministers, only six from the previous team have been retained, while 10 were dropped and 19 new members inducted — a development viewed as the BJP’s effort to redraw its internal power structure in preparation for the 2027 Assembly elections.
Harsh Sanghavi was the first to take the oath of office, formally assuming the role of Deputy Chief Minister — a position held by only five leaders in Gujarat’s history. His elevation is viewed as more than just symbolic; it positions him as a central figure in the Bhupendra Patel administration and signals the BJP’s deliberate effort to nurture its next generation of leadership.
According to sources, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel personally reached out to the ministers who were retained, underlining their continued importance within the government. Meanwhile, state BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma reportedly informed the newly inducted members.
Behind the seamless transition, however, lies what political observers describe as a silent purge — particularly targeting former Congress leaders who had joined the BJP earlier.
Of the five Congress-origin ministers in the previous cabinet, only Kunwarji Bavaliya and Arjun Modhwadia have retained their positions, while Balwantsinh Rajput, Bhikhusinh Parmar, Kunwarji Halpati, and Raghavji Patel have been dropped.
The reshuffle also resonates with Gujarat’s political history. Since the state’s formation, only five others have served as Deputy Chief Minister, namely, Chiman Patel and Kantilal Ghiya in 1972, Keshubhai Patel in 1990, Narhari Amin in 1994, and Nitin Patel during Vijay Rupani’s tenure. Sanghavi’s appointment as the sixth marks a generational shift within the BJP’s leadership ranks.
Gujarat’s constitutional limit allows for 27 ministers, 15 per cent of the 182-member assembly, and the BJP is reportedly planning to fill most of these positions.
The outgoing cabinet had a total of 17 members, including the Chief Minister, comprising eight cabinet ministers and eight ministers of state.