Gujarat Gets New Cabinet: Rivaba Jadeja Among 26 Ministers in Major BJP Reshuffle
All ministers resigned ahead of the overhaul; CM Bhupendra Patel retains post, Harsh Sanghvi named Deputy CM as party prepares for 2027 polls
In a major political shake-up, the BJP-led Gujarat government unveiled a completely revamped cabinet on Friday, appointing 26 new ministers, including Rivaba Jadeja, the wife of Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja. The move comes just a day after all ministers in the previous cabinet, except Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, resigned in what party insiders are calling a “strategic reset.”
According to senior BJP leaders, the resignations were sought to give the chief minister and the central leadership a clean slate to reconfigure the team ahead of upcoming local body elections and the 2027 Gujarat Assembly polls. The ministers were reportedly asked to step down by Thursday afternoon, and many had already begun vacating their offices by evening.
On Thursday night, CM Bhupendra Patel met with Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat to submit the names for the new cabinet. The new ministers were sworn in on Friday. BJP leader Harsh Sanghvi has been appointed Deputy Chief Minister, while portfolios for the other ministers are yet to be officially announced.
Among the notable names in the new cabinet are Kunvarji Bavaliya, Arjun Modhwadia, Parshottam Solanki, Jitendra Vaghani, and Kanubhai Desai — all experienced leaders with strong regional influence. The inclusion of Rivaba Jadeja, a first-time MLA from Jamnagar, has drawn particular attention, reflecting the party’s strategy to balance experience with fresh faces.
This is the first major cabinet reshuffle since Bhupendra Patel took over as chief minister in 2021, replacing Vijay Rupani. Patel later led the BJP to a record-breaking win in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections.
Here’s the full list of ministers in the new cabinet:
Bhupendra Patel, Trikam Chhanga, Swarupji Thakor, Pravenkumar Mali, Rushikesh Patel, PC Baranda, Darshana Vaghela, Kantratalal Amrutia, Kunvarji Bavaliya, Rivaba Jadeja, Arjun Modhwadia, Pradyuman Vaja, Kaushik Vekariya, Parshottam Solanki, Jitendra Vaghani, Raman Solanki, Kamlesh Patel, Sanjaysinh Mahida, Ramesh Katara, Manisha Vakil, Ishwarsinh Patel, Praful Panseriya, Harsh Sanghvi, Jayrambhai Gamit, Naresh Patel, and Kanubhai Desai.
The reshuffle signals the BJP’s intent to refresh its leadership team while consolidating support ahead of key electoral battles in the coming years.