Bhupendra Patel expands Gujarat cabinet; Rivaba Jadeja among 25 ministers sworn in

Gandhinagar (The Uttam Hindu): Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel's new government in Gujarat will be sworn in today. Twenty-five ministers, including three women, will be sworn in at the afternoon ceremony. The new cabinet will include eight ministers from the Patel community, including the Chief Minister, eight from the OBC category, three from the Scheduled Caste (SC) category, and four from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. This time, 19 new faces have been given a chance.

On Thursday, all 16 ministers in the current cabinet submitted their resignations to the Chief Minister. It is believed that Rivaba Jadeja, wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, is also being considered for a ministerial position.

This reshuffle in the state is being seen as a preparation for the 2027 assembly elections. The previous cabinet consisted of 17 ministers, including the Chief Minister—eight Cabinet ministers and eight Ministers of State (MoS). This number will increase to 26 in the new cabinet. Sources suggest that two deputy CMs may also be appointed.

This time, some MLAs who left Congress and joined the BJP may also receive ministerial positions. The Gujarat Assembly has a total of 182 MLAs, and according to the Constitution, the maximum number of ministers can be 15% of the total strength of the House—that is, up to 27, including the Chief Minister.

Bhupendra Patel first became Chief Minister in September 2021, following the sudden removal of Vijay Rupani. He subsequently returned to the position after winning the assembly elections in December 2022, appointing 16 MLAs as ministers. A new cabinet is now being formed. Meetings that lasted late into the night have led to consensus on new faces. Sources indicate that a few members of the previous cabinet are likely to return with promotions.

These 25 ministers got place in the cabinet expansion.

Prafull Panseria, Kunwarjibhai Bavaliya, Rishikesh Patel, Kanu Desai, Parsotam Solanki, Harsh Sanghvi, Pradyumna Vaj, Naresh Patel, PC Baranda, Arjun Modhwadia, Kanti Amritia, Kaushik Vekariya, Darshanben Vaghela, Jitubhai Vaghani, Rewa B Jadeja , Dr. Jairam Gamit, Trikambhai Chhanga, Ishwarsingh Patel, Manisha Vakil, Praveen Mali, Swarupji Thakor, Sanjay Singh Mahida, Kamlesh Patel, Raman Solanki, Ramesh Katara