Gujarat ministers resignation: Hours before the swearing-in ceremony of Gujarat’s new Bhupendra Patel cabinet, it became clear that at least five of the 16 ministers from the outgoing team could return, as their resignations were not accepted.
Among those likely to be retained are Rushikesh Patel, who held the Higher Education and Health portfolios; Praful Pansheriya, MoS for Education; Kanubhai Desai, who held the Energy portfolio; and Kunwarji Bavaliya, who was the Water Resources Minister, among others.
Sources told The Indian Express that some outgoing ministers received phone calls late on Thursday night informing them that their resignations, submitted earlier in the day to the Chief Minister, had not been accepted.
“Nothing was clear till this morning. We all gave our resignations. At least five to six of them were not accepted,” said one minister who is likely to return, on condition of anonymity.
The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11:30 am on Friday at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, where Governor Acharya Devvrat will administer the oath of office. Union Minister and BJP national president J P Nadda is expected to attend.
In a bold move on Thursday, all 16 BJP ministers in the Bhupendra Patel cabinet had submitted their resignations, signalling an overhaul and possible expansion in the new team.
This had marked a possibility for the biggest reshuffle since September 11, 2021, when the late Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his entire ministry had stepped down, reportedly at the direction of the party’s high command.
