Newly elected Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel shows victory sign in presence of former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, at BJP headquarters, Kamalam, in Gandhinagar on Sunday. | ANI
Days after Bhupendra Patel's surprise appointment as Gujarat Chief Minister, political changes continue to take place in the western state. Even as new ministers prepare to take oath in Gandhinagar, reports suggest that many top officials including Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama may be dropped from their posts.
Gujarat Chief Minister Office today announced that the swearing in ceremony of Bhupendra Patel cabinet will take place on September 16 at 1.30 pm at Raj Bhavan, Gandhinagar.
The CMO informed about the ceremony on its official Twitter account.
Gujarat BJP in-charge Bhupender Yadav has been holding marathon meetings in Gandhinagar since the last two days to finalise the list.
The swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet of CM Bhupendra Patel will take place on September 16 at 1.30 pm at Raj Bhavan, Gandhinagar: Gujarat Chief Minister's Office pic.twitter.com/KmYry7XTxH
— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2021
State party spokesperson Yamal Vyas earlier in the day said, the swearing-in ceremony of the new ministers, whose names are not yet declared, will be held after 2 pm in the capital city Gandhinagar, however there has been no development so far.
As per an India Today report, other existing Ministers such as Bachu Khabad, Vasan Ahir, Kishor Kanani, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Vibhavari Dave, and Kunvarji Bavaliya could also find themselves dropped from the Cabinet. New additions, the article suggests may include Kiritsinh Rana, Shashikant Pandya, Atmaram Parmar, Govind Patel, Rushikesh Patel, Ketan Inamdar, and Arvind Rayani.
With the state Assembly elections scheduled in December 2022, the BJP is banking on Patel, a Patidar, for poll victory. A first time MLA from the Ghatlodia seat (previously held by former Gujarat chief minister and current Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel), he had taken oath alone on Monday. A day earlier, he had been unanimously elected the BJP legislature party leader.
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But the changes are not limited to the ministerial level alone. As per reports, there have also been a slew of bureaucratic changes since the new Chief Minister was appointed. As per a September 15 notice issued by he Governor, several IAS officers have been shuffled.
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