Gandhinagar: In a function held post 1.30 pm today at Raj Bhavan here, new ministers of Bhupendra Patel cabinet took oath. In a historic move, all ministers of outgoing cabinet are excluded from a new cabinet.

Among 10 cabinet ministers who took oath are Rajendra Trivedi, Jitubhai Vaghani, Rushikesh Patel, Purnesh Modi and Raghavji Patel.

Trivedi resigned as Speaker of Gujarat Assembly today morning. He has been minister in the past also. Jitubhai Vaghani is a former president of Gujarat BJP. Rushikesh Patel is MLA from Visnagar in North Gujarat, a constituency that has been electing BJP since decades non-stop. Purnesh Modi is MLA from Surat. He had been Parliamentary Secretary in the past. Raghavjibhai Patel is MLA from Jamnagar.

Kanubhai Desai, Kiritsinh Rana, Naresh Patel, Pradip Parmar and Arjunsinh Chauhan also took oath as cabinet ministers. Kanubhai is MLA from Pardi. Kirsinh Rana is MLA from Limbdi. He had been a minister in the past. Naresh Patel is MLA from Gandevi in South Gujarat. Pradip Parmar is MLA from Asarwa constituency in Ahmedabad. Arjunsinh Chauhan is MLA from Mahemdavad.

A young and popular Surat MLA Harsh Sanghavi, former Ahmedabad BJP chief Jagdish Panchal, Morbi MLA Brijesh Merja, Southern most assembly seat Kaprada MLA Jitubhai Chaudhary and Vadodara MLA Smt Manisha Vakil took oath as Minister of State with independent charge.

MLAs Ganendrasinh Parmar, Raghavjibhai Makwana, Vinodbhai Moradiya, Devabhai Malam, Mukesh Patel, Smt Nimishaben Suthar, Arvindbhai Raiyani, Kuberbhai Dindor and Kiritsinh Vaghela took oath as Minister of State.

With 10 cabinet ministers, 5 Minister of State (Independent Charge) and 9 Minister of State, the total number of ministers who took oath today is 24 in addition to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel who took oath on September 13.  A 25-member ministry is 2 short of permitted ceiling of 27.

A meeting of new cabinet will take place at 4.30 pm. It is believed that portfolios to new ministers will be allotted.

Gujarat is going to general elections of State assembly next year, possibly in December.

Perhaps for the first time after independence, an entire state council of ministers has been changed in this style. This is possible only in BJP and shows signature of boldness and level of confidence of the leadership. DeshGujarat