Gujarat: New ministers to take oath at Mahatma Mandir

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel met Governor Acharya Devvrat at Raj Bhavan on Friday to formally seek permission to organise the swearing-in ceremony for the new cabinet members. This comes amid a significant reshuffle in the cabinet, with all 16 ministers, except CM Bhupendra Patel, resigning on Thursday. The new cabinet will take oath on Friday at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, according to an official statement. Governor Acharya Devvratji will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the designated ministers included in this expansion of the State Cabinet during the ceremony.
Gujarat BJP released a list of 26 ministers designate which included among others, Swaroopji Thakor, Pravenkumar Mali, Rushikesh Patel, Darshna Waghela, Kunvarji Bavaliya, Rivaba Jadeja, Arjun Modhwadia, Parshottam Solanki, Jitendra Waghani, Praful Pansheriya, Harsh Sanghvi and Kanubhai Desai. Gujarat can have a maximum of 27 ministers (15 per cent of the 182-member assembly), and the BJP aims to fill more of these positions. 
The Gujarat cabinet comprised a total of 17 (including the Chief Minister) Ministers, with 8 being cabinet ministers and 8 being ministers of state. The reshuffle is part of the BJP's efforts to rejuvenate its leadership in Gujarat ahead of future electoral challenges. Meanwhile, BJP National President JP Nadda reached Ahemdabad. The move to bring in new faces to the Gujarat cabinet comes just three years into the government's formation, and two years before the 2027 legislative assembly elections.

(State Correspondent)