All Gujarat Ministers Resign Ahead of Major Cabinet Reshuffle Tomorrow

Gandhinagar: In a sweeping political turnaround, all ministers in the Gujarat government, barring Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, tendered their resignations on Thursday, clearing the decks for what is expected to be a significant Cabinet reshuffle slated for October 17.

According to official sources, the CM has accepted the mass resignation of all 16 ministers. The swearing-in ceremony for the new Council of Ministers is expected to take place on Friday.

The outgoing Cabinet, comprising eight Cabinet-rank ministers and eight Ministers of State, was operating below its full capacity. Under Constitutional provisions, Gujarat’s legislative strength (182 MLAs) allows for up to 27 ministers, leaving scope for significant expansion.

Political analysts view the mass resignation and impending reshuffle as a strategic move by the BJP to revitalise its state administration just ahead of and during upcoming local body elections.

Meanwhile, there is speculation over the creation of a Deputy Chief Minister post, with two prominent BJP leaders — Harsh Sanghavi and Kunvarji Halpati — being floated as contenders.

The BJP’s state leadership shake-ups have also played a role. The recently appointed Gujarat BJP president, Jagdish Vishwakarma, is believed to be vetting candidates and is likely to relinquish his ministerial role in line with the party’s “one person, one post” principle.

Senior central leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda, are expected to attend the oath ceremony, underscoring the high stakes attached to this reorganisation.