New Gujarat Cabinet likely to balance caste equations; more women may join

The new Gujarat Cabinet — likely to be declared late on Thursday (October 16) evening, with the swearing-in ceremony on Friday afternoon — has been carefully decided to balance caste equations in view of the upcoming local body polls and the state assembly elections in 2027, say party insiders.

The new Bhupendra Patel Cabinet is likely to include 23 ministers, with a balanced representation of experience, youth, and women legislators. The BJP aims to ensure equitable representation across communities and regions, sources told The Federal.

Old guards and new faces

About half of the Cabinet is reportedly likely to be replaced with new faces.

Senior BJP leaders and key ministers such as Rushikesh Patel and Mukesh Patel are likely to retain their portfolios, say sources.

Also read: All Gujarat ministers resign ahead of October 17 Cabinet expansion

However, Kanubhai Desai, Minister of Finance, Energy and Petrochemical, Raghavji Patel Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Cow-Breeding, Fisheries, Rural Housing and Rural Development, Kunvarji Bavaliya, Minister of Water Resources and Water Supply, Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Protection Affairs, and Mulubhai Bera, Minister of Tourism, Cultural Activities, Forest and Environment, Climate Change, and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Bhanuben Babariya may be replaced.

Another minister who is very likely to be replaced is Minister of State (Forest) Bachubhai Khabad, whose sons were arrested in a multi-crore MGNREGA scam in Dahod.

Among the names expected to join the Cabinet are Former Minister and Cooperative Leader Jayesh Radadiya, Current Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, Rajkot MLA Uday Kangad, Vajalpur MLA Amit Thakar, Ellisbridge MLA Amit Popatlal Shah, Bhavnagar MLA Hira Solanki, the brother of Parsottam Solanki, Amreli MLA Mahesh Kashwala, first-time MLA from Jamnagar North, Rivabaa Jadeja, Congress turncoat and Porbandar MLA Arjun Modhwadia, Mandvi MLA Aniruddh Dave, Surat MLA Sangeeta Patil, Nadiad MLA Pankaj Desai, Gandhinagar South MLA Alpesh Thakor, and former state president and Bhavnagar West MLA Jitu Vaghani.

Also read: OBC ire, farmers’ stir make new Gujarat BJP chief’s road ahead rocky

Caste, gender balance

“The Cabinet is most likely to include six leaders from the Patidar community, among whom four will be Leuva Patel and two Kadva Patel, four OBC MLAs from Thakor and Koli communities, two from the Scheduled Castes community from Central Gujarat, two leaders from South Gujarat belonging to Scheduled Tribes, two Brahmin MLAs, and two from the Darbar community. More women are likely to be inducted in the Cabinet and names of four women MLAs are being considered,” said a senior leader of BJP from Gandhinagar.

Saurashtra region, where the BJP has been facing the ire of the public and OBC communities, is reportedly set to get more representation in the new Cabinet. Leaders from the region, like Jayesh Radadiya and Jitu Vaghani, are expected to receive plum portfolios, such as the Home Department. While more ministers are likely to be added from North Gujarat as well, South Gujarat may see less representation in the new Cabinet, say party sources.

One MLA from Amreli district is likely to get a ministerial post, and the party is reportedly set to open a grand office in Dhari constituency in the district, near Visavadar in Junagadh, a seat retained by AAP’s Gopal Italia in a bypoll earlier this year.

“The party will focus on Amreli and Junagadh and the ministers concerned will be given the responsibility to strengthen the party base in the face of AAP’s aggressive political campaign in the region,” said the BJP leader.

Also read: BJP appoints Jagdish Vishwakarma as Gujarat state president

Deputy CM likely

The new Cabinet may also include a deputy chief minister. Gujarat has had five Deputy chief ministers in the past: Chimanbhai Patel and Kantilal Ghia in the Ghanshyam Oza-led Congress government in 1972–73, Keshubhai Patel in the Chimanbhai Patel-led BJP government in 1990, Narhari Amin in the Chabildas Mehta-led Congress government in 1994-95, and Nitin Patel in the Vijay Rupani-led BJP government in 2016–2021.

Shankar Chaudhary, a BJP veteran from North Gujarat and a dairy cooperative strongman, and the party’s young MLA from Surat, Harsh Sanghavi, are reportedly being considered for the post. Since Shankar Chaudhary is the current Speaker, the assembly might get a new Speaker as well.

“Around 8 pm (Thursday), the MLAs chosen in the new Cabinet will be informed at a party meeting at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar. Tomorrow (Friday), the swearing-in ceremony of new Cabinet will happen at 12.39 pm, the Vijay Muhurat,” said Rushikesh Patel in a media interaction earlier on Thursday.

Also read: Gujarat: Nikol cheers PM Modi, but BJP faces public ire

All ministers resign

All the 16 ministers, except for Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, have submitted their resignations. These will be accepted by Governor Acharya Devvrat later on Thursday, following which a farewell meeting has been planned at Kamalam, the BJP headquarter at Gandhinagar.

Gujarat, which has a 182-member Assembly, can have up to 27 ministers (15 per cent of the total strength). The current Cabinet has eight Cabinet ministers, while the rest are Ministers of State (MoS).

All MLAs have been asked to be in Gandhinagar for the next 48 hours, while preparations have begun at Swarnim Sankul-2 building in Gandhinagar that houses the offices of the ministers.

Governor Acharya Devvrat, BJP national president JP Nadda, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to reach the state by Thursday night for the swearing-in ceremony.