Women’s presence in the Cabinet has witnessed an increase, with three women now part of the team, up from only one in the previous line-up.

On Friday (October 17, 2025), 21 Ministers, including 19 new faces, were sworn in as part of Gujarat’s newly organized Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who appointed Harsh Sanghvi as his first Deputy Chief Minister.

The induction comes after all Ministers in the State administration resigned on Thursday (October 16, 2025), with the exception of the Chief Minister.

This brings the Cabinet size to 26, including the Chief Minister (almost 15% of the strength of the 182-member Assembly), up from 17 Ministers previously.

Mr. Sanghvi, a popular young leader from Surat and former Gujarat Minister of State for Home, took oath as Deputy Chief Minister, becoming the State’s youngest ever. He also took oath as Minister of the Home. This is the first time in the last four years under Mr. Patel’s stint as Chief Minister that a Deputy CM has been nominated in the State.

MLA Rivaba Jadeja, wife of Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, was an unexpected addition to the Cabinet.

Although 16 ministers resigned on Thursday, the Chief Minister rejected the resignations of six members. Kanubhai Patel, Rushikesh Patel, and Kunvarji Bavaliya had previously served as Cabinet Ministers, while Mr. Sanghvi, Praful Pansheriya, and Parshottam Solanki held the position of Minister of State.

On Thursday evening, the Chief Minister met with Governor Acharya Devvrat and presented a list of nominations for the new Cabinet, which included seven Patidars, eight Other Backward Classes, three Scheduled Castes, and four Scheduled Tribes. Women’s presence in the Cabinet has increased, with three women joining the team, up from one in the previous line-up.

J.P. Nadda, the BJP’s national president and a Union Minister, attended the oath ceremony. Mr. Devvrat administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly appointed Ministers, as well as those promoted to Cabinet rank or given independent charge.

The Cabinet upheaval occurs roughly two years before the 2027 Gujarat Assembly election and only months before the forthcoming local body elections.

Jitu Vaghani, Manisha Vakil, Ishwarsinh Patel, and Naresh Patel have previously served as Ministers in BJP governments in the state. Arjun Modhwadia, the previous head of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC), who joined the BJP in March 2024, was also appointed Minister.

Jagdish Vishwakarma has been appointed as the next president of the Gujarat BJP, following Union Minister C.R. Paatil. According to party insiders, Mr. Vishwakarma was not considered for a cabinet seat under the BJP’s “one person, one post” philosophy.

The rebuilt Gujarat Council of Ministers now has 25 members, including nine Cabinet members, three Ministers of State with autonomous responsibility, and thirteen Ministers of State.

In the most recent shake-up, Mr. Patel removed eleven Ministers, including senior figures like Balwantsinh Rajput (Industries), Raghavji Patel (Agriculture), Bhanuben Babariya (Social Justice and Empowerment), and Mulu Bera (Forest and Environment).