Even as ‘Team 26’ led by the first-time MLA and now Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is confident of triumphing in all 182 Assembly seats in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, it is more than apparent that the BJP is basking in premature overconfidence and its dream of making Gujarat Congress and AAP free in 2022 is teetering on a slippery slope.
The first cabinet meeting of the newly sworn-in team took place today. It was attended by 24 ministers and seniors who discussed portfolios. All the 24 ministers are fresh faces and this is the first ‘No Repeat’ ministry of India.
Discipline was at its supreme best as old leaders warmly welcomed the new inexperienced ministers. In fact, the biggest dissenting leader, ex-deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, who appeared in a rebellious mood, told Vibes of India: “I am a disciplined soldier of the party. It is a law of nature. We have to welcome the new and replace the old. I am happy to belong to BJP and will continue to work in a disciplined manner in whatever the party expects me to do.”
The #Special26 as Vibes of India (VoI) calls #TeamBhupendraPatel, who himself is a first-time MLA, are fresh faces. None of the 23 ministers from Vijay Rupani’s team have been accommodated in the new ministry.
Following are the list of Cabinet and Ministers of State and their portfolios:
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel: GAD, Home, Police housing, Information and Broadcasting, town development, urban development and urban housing, mines and minerals, Narmada, Ports, and all the other ministries not allocated to others.
Cabinet Ministers
1. Rajendra Trivedi from Vadodara gets Revenue, Disaster Management, Law Parliamentary affairs portfolio
2. Jitu Vaghani from Bhavnagar West is a new education, science, and technology minister
3. Rishikesh Patel from Mehsana is new health, medical education, and water resources, minister.
4. Purnesh Modi from Surat is the news roads and housing, transport, civil aviation, and pilgrimage development Minister.
5. Raghavji Patel, a Congress turncoat is the Agriculture, animal husbandry, and cow breeding minister of Gujarat. He is from Jamnagar.
6. Kanu Desai from Pardi is the new finance and petrochemicals minister of Gujarat.
7 Kiritsinh Rana is the new forest, environment, climate change, printing, and stationary minister. He is from Limbdi in Saurashtra.
8. Naresh Patel will head the Aadi Jaati Vikas, food and civil supplies, and consumer protection ministries.
9. Pradip Sinh Parmar will head the social justice and rights Ministry
10. Arjun Udesinh Chauhan will head rural development and rural housing.
Ministers of State with Independent Charges
1. Harsh Sanghvi: Home department, Police housing,(independent charge), Disaster management, sports, youth, and cultural activities, NGO coordination, NRI, GRD, Border Security, Prohibition.
2. Jagdish Vishwakarma: Cottage industries, Co-operation, Salt industry and protocol department (independent charges)
other portfolios include Industries, forests, environment. climate change, printing and stationery.
3. Brijesh Merja: Labour, employment, Panchayats(Independent charge), Rural housing and rural development
4. Jitu Chaudhry: Kalpasar, fisheries(independent charge), Narmada water resources.
5. Manisha Vakil: Women and child development (Independent charge), Social justice and empowerment
Ministers of State
Mukesh Patel: Agriculture, Energy, and Petrochemicals
Nimisha Suthar: Aaditjaati Vikas, health, family welfare, and medical education
Arvind Raiyani: Transport, civil aviation, Tourism and Pilgrimage development
Kuber Dondor: Higher and technical education, science and technology plus Parliamentary affairs.
Kirtisinh Vaghela: Primary, Secondary and adult education
Gajendrasinh Parmar: Food and civil supplies, consumer protection
R C Makwana: Social justice, Human Rights
Vinod Moradia: Urban development and urban housing
Deva Alam: Animal Husbandry and cow breeding.
