Gandhinagar: MLA from Majura constituency in Surat, Harsh Sanghavi, was sworn in as Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister today, as Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expanded his cabinet in a ceremony held at the Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre.

With his elevation from Minister of State, the 40-year-old leader Sanghavi becomes the sixth Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, a post previously held by leaders such as Chimanbhai Patel, Keshubhai Patel, Narhari Amin, and Nitin Patel.

Prior to his resignation as Minister of State on Thursday, when 16 ministers stepped down, Sanghavi had held a slew of portfolios, including Sports, Youth Services, Coordination of Voluntary Organizations, Non-Resident Gujaratis’ Division, Transport, Gruh Rakshak Dal and Gram Rakshak Dal, Civil Defence, Jail, Border Security (all independent charges), Home and Police Housing, Industries, and Cultural Activities (as State Minister).

As Sports Minister, Sanghavi played a pivotal role in bringing several international games to the state, including the recent recommendation of Ahmedabad as the host city for the 2030 Commonwealth Games. He has also been part of delegations meeting Olympic Committee members as India bids to host the 2036 Summer Olympics in Gujarat.

Sanghavi’s tenure as Home Minister has also earned praise from the public for his firm law-and-order stance and his drive against illegal encroachment and drugs across the state.

Even at a young age, Sanghavi has made his mark in Gujarat politics. He was first elected to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly in 2012, representing the Majura constituency at the age of 27, taking oath as the youngest MLA in the Assembly. He successfully retained his seat in the 2017 elections. In the 2022 assembly polls, he defeated Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate PVS Sarma by over 1.16 lakh votes, securing his seat for a third consecutive term. Following this victory, he was appointed as Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home Affairs.

Earlier, Chief Minister Patel met Governor Acharya Devvrat at Raj Bhavan to seek approval for the oath-taking ceremony and updated him on the current status of the state cabinet.

The Gujarat cabinet previously had 17 members, including the Chief Minister, with eight serving as cabinet-rank ministers and the rest as Ministers of State (MoS). With a 182-member assembly, the state can have up to 27 ministers, or 15% of the House’s strength.

This month, MoS Jagdish Vishwakarma was appointed president of the state BJP, succeeding Union Minister C.R. Paatil. DeshGujarat