Gandhinagar, October 17: Governor Acharya Devvrat swore in 26 ministers on Thursday, completing a wholesale overhaul of Gujarat’s council of ministers and elevating former home minister Harsh Sanghavi to Deputy Chief Minister.
The mass induction at Mahatma Mandir brings the cabinet to its full sanctioned strength of 27, one day after the entire previous ministry resigned. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who retains the top post, watched as Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J. P. Nadda looked on from the front row.
Sanghavi, 40, the MLA from Majura in Surat and a close Shah protégé, becomes the youngest deputy chief minister the state has appointed. First-time minister Rivaba Jadeja—BJP legislator and wife of India cricketer Ravindra Jadeja—was among the 24 new faces, alongside Trikam Chhanga, Swaroopji Thakor, Praveen Mali, Rushikesh Patel, paediatrician Dr Pradyumn Vaja and eight others.
Six outgoing ministers return in the new line-up, while four who kept their departments were not required to retake oath. Portfolios will be assigned later, officials said.
“Ever since C. R. Patil was moved out as state president, a reshuffle was expected,” political analyst Anil Pathak said. “With civic polls due and the 2027 assembly election on the horizon, the BJP wants a reset. Elevating Sanghavi signals an outreach to the Patidar belt of Saurashtra.”
A senior party functionary described the resignations as “a deliberate move to give the chief minister a free hand for a strategic reset.”
The expanded ministry is expected to be in campaign mode immediately: elections to six municipal corporations and more than 40 district and taluka panchayats are scheduled for early 2026, setting the tone for the state polls two years later.