Gujarat cabinet reshuffle expands to 26 ministers

All ministers in the Gujarat government except Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel resigned this week, clearing the way for a major cabinet reshuffle that culminated in the swearing-in of a 26-member ministry on Friday in Gandhinagar. The resignations followed a series of meetings involving central and state party leaders and were presented as a strategic reset ahead of upcoming local body elections and the 2027 state assembly contest.

Party officials said the decision was taken after consultations at the chief minister's residence, where leaders conveyed instructions from the central leadership. After the meeting, the 16 ministers submitted their resignations to Chief Minister Patel, who accepted them and was scheduled to hand them to Governor Acharya Devvrat later the same day. A new cabinet was sworn in at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar on Friday, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda, officials said.

The new ministry comprises 26 ministers, expanding the council from the previous 17 members, which included eight cabinet-rank ministers and eight ministers of state. The state assembly allows up to 27 ministers under the 15 percent cap on the...