Ahmedabad (Gujarat): With more than a year left to the Gujarat assembly elections 2022, a brand new cabinet of the Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel took oath on Thursday at the Raj Bhavan in Gandhi Nagar which was formed after many deliberations. It appears that the new team has been formed keeping in view all the sectors, all the zones, all the castes for the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections. All the districts have been given importance. In particular, Patidar-dominance has also been taken into consideration. The new cabinet has a total of seven Patidar ministers, including CM Bhupendra Patel, with four Leua Patel and three Kadwa Patel.
Among Patidar leaders, one Patidar leader is from North Gujarat, one from South Gujarat, one from Central Gujarat and four from Saurashtra. Since the Patidars are a very important vote bank, they have been given priority, so as to attract the Patidars in the Assembly elections, as well as to unite the Kadva and Leua Patidars to remain pro-BJP.
Justice to all castes
Going by the caste equation, 7 Patidar leaders, two Brahmins, two Kshatriyas, seven OBCs, four Adivasis, one Jain and two women have found a place in Bhupendra Patel's cabinet team of 25 ministers. The cast equation works very well in any election and it has been taken care of in the formation of the new team.
North Gujarat has less representation
As per zone wise, 7 MLAs from Saurashtra, 7 from Central Gujarat, 7 from South Gujarat and 3 MLAs from North Gujarat have been given a place in the new team. However, North Gujarat, which is considered the stronghold of BJP, is under-represented.
Education qualification of the new cabinet
Four MLAs of the 10 new ministers have LLB degrees, 2 MLAs are Commerce graduates and one has a Diploma in Civil Engineer and three are matric pass. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel himself has a Diploma in Civil Engineer.
Two women became minister
The fresh inductions include two women representatives compared to the earlier cabinet where only one woman was the minister. Manisha Vakil MLA from Vadodara and Nimisha Suthar MLA from Morva Hadaf have been given a chance.
The earlier cabinet of Rupani consisted of senior ministers, who had vast experience from politics to administration and the majority of them are in politics for years and even had worked with Narendra Modi since Keshubhai's government, but now BJP has done a makeover in Gujarat. The CM and his new ministers are freshers in their ministerial positions, despite being seasoned MLA's.
