New Ministry: 24 ministers take oath, none from Rupani govt inducted

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 16

The ruling BJP today completely overhauled the Gujarat council of ministers, selecting all new faces for the Bhupendra Patel government.

No Deputy CM in government

Ahmedabad: There will be no deputy chief minister in the Bhupendra Patel-led BJP government in Gujarat, a post that existed in the previous Vijay Rupani-headed cabinet. The post was held by Nitin Patel during the Rupani government. PTI

22 first-timers in council

• The new ministers include 10 in the Cabinet rank and 14 Ministers of State
• Together with CM Patel, there are now 22 (21 ministers) first-timers in the council
• Prominent among those dropped is Patidar heavyweight and former Deputy CM Nitin Patel and Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Education Minister in the Rupani government

Significantly, none of the 24 ministers sworn-in today had served in the erstwhile Vijay Rupani government.

The central leadership adopted a “no repeat” formula to beat anti-incumbency and other issues facing the party in the crucial 2022 elections in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, perhaps also serving a message to leaders in other party-ruled states.

The new ministers include 10 in the Cabinet rank and 14 Ministers of State. Together with CM Bhupendra Patel, there are now 22 (21 ministers) first-timers in the council. Prominent among those dropped is Patidar heavyweight and former Deputy CM Nitin Patel and Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Education Minister in the Rupani government.

Those inducted include former state BJP chief Jitubhai Vaghani and Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi. Though majority are first-time legislators with only some with previous ministerial experience like Rajendra Trivedi, a minister in the Anandiben government, Kiritsinh Rana, who served under PM Modi, and Raghavji Patel, minister in Shankersinh Vaghela government.

Politically significant Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions have landed maximum berths in the Cabinet formulated keeping in mind caste and regional balance. Present state chief CR Patil comes from south Gujarat and observers say his clout is evident in the choice of ministers.

The transition was not as easy. Sources say marathon meetings were held to finalise the names. The ceremony, which was earlier scheduled on Wednesday, had to be postponed after upset sitting ministers, who were to be dropped, objected to the move.

Apart from anti-incumbency, the ruling BJP is facing several other challenges (including from AAP), battling negative perceptions and allegations of Covid mismanagement in the state.

The leadership which almost never replaced any CM (including Jharkhand where sentiments were clearly against incumbent CM Raghubar Das in 2019) changed as many as four in the past six months. What is even more surprising is the choice of replacements, mostly “second-rung leaders/back benchers in the state Assemblies” as some may in case of Bhupendra Patel and some of his ministers. A second-rung leader makes control easier for those sitting in Delhi instead of some well-entrenched politician with his or her own baggage, followers and adversaries, explain observers.

The CM also allocated portfolios to 24 newly-inducted ministers, keeping a host of departments including Home with himself. Kanubhai Desai was allocated Finance and Energy and Petrochemicals portfolios.