All 16 Gujarat ministers, except CM Bhupendra Patel, on Thursday resigned from the state cabinet as the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet will take place on Friday at 12:39 pm. "Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel's cabinet will be expanded on Friday at 12:39 pm," a government release said.
Gujarat may get 10 new ministers in cabinet expansion
The state may get around 10 new ministers in the upcoming cabinet expansion, a senior BJP leader earlier told PTI, adding that nearly half of the present ministers may be replaced.
Reports suggested that ministers such as Dharmendrasinh, Rishikesh Patel, Mukesh Patel, and Bhupendrasinh Chudasama are likely to retain their posts, while others such as Kanubhai Desai (Finance), Raghavji Patel (Agriculture), Kunvarji Bavaliya (Water Supply), and Murubhai Bera (Tourism) could be dropped. The present Gujarat cabinet comprises 17 ministers, including CM Patel. Eight are cabinet-rank ministers, while as many others are Ministers of State (MoS).
Senior BJP leadership, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and national president JP Nadda, are expected to be present at the ceremony. All BJP MLAs have also been asked to be in Gandhinagar by Thursday.
Gujarat has a 182-member assembly
Gujarat, which has a 182-member assembly, can have 27 ministers or 15 per cent of the total strength of the House. Earlier this month, MoS in the Gujarat government, Jagdish Vishwakarma, became the new president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's state unit, replacing Union minister CR Paatil. Bhupendra Patel took oath as Gujarat chief minister for the second time on December 12, 2022.
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