Harsh Sanghavi takes oath as Gujarat Deputy CM in cabinet reshuffle

In a sweeping political overhaul, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi was sworn in as the state’s new Deputy Chief Minister on Friday as Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expanded his cabinet to 25 members. The reshuffle, one of the largest in recent years, retained six ministers from the previous council while inducting 19 new faces, including BJP MLA Rivaba Jadeja, wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja.The new cabinet reflects a carefully calibrated social balance ahead of upcoming civic polls and the 2027 Assembly elections. The caste composition includes eight ministers from the OBC community, six from the Patidar community, four from tribal communities, three from Scheduled Castes, two from the Kshatriya community, and one each from the Brahmin and Jain (Laghumati) communities.

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— Bhupendra Patel (@Bhupendrapbjp) October 17, 2025

Ministers retained: Harsh Sanghavi, Kunwarji Bavaliya, Praful Panseria, Rishikesh Patel, Parshottam Solanki, and Kanubhai Desai.
New inductees: Trikam Chhang, Swarupji Thakor, Praveen Mali, P.C. Baranda, Darshana Vaghela, Kantilal Amritia, Rivaba Jadeja, Arjunbhai Modhwadia, Pradyumna Vaja, Kaushik Vekaria, Jitendrabhai Vaghani, Ramanbhai Solanki, Kamleshbhai Patel, Sanjay Singh Mahida, Rameshbhai Katara, Manisha Vakil, Ishwar Singh Patel, Jairambhai Gamit, and Naresh Patel.
The expansion followed the resignation of all 16 ministers in Bhupendra Patel’s previous cabinet, paving the way for a complete reset. “Resignations of all 16 ministers have been taken by the party. Except for Chief Minister Patel, all ministers have resigned,” a BJP source confirmed.Earlier this month, Minister of State Jagdish Vishwakarma was appointed the new president of the Gujarat BJP unit, replacing Union Minister C.R. Patil. In line with the party’s ‘one person, one post’ policy, Vishwakarma has been excluded from the new cabinet.
Union Minister C.R Patil and BJP national president J.P. Nadda attended the swearing-in ceremony, along with several MPs, MLAs, and senior party leaders. Nadda, who arrived in Gandhinagar on Thursday evening, held extensive discussions with Chief Minister Patel and other top leaders to finalise the ministerial lineup.Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who began his second term on December 12, 2022, recently completed five years in office. The new cabinet is expected to feature a mix of experienced leaders and fresh faces as the BJP prepares for upcoming civic polls and begins groundwork for the 2027 Assembly elections.

(State Correspondent)