Harsh Sanghavi Sworn In as Gujarat’s New Deputy Chief Minister Amid Major Cabinet Reshuffle
Harsh Sanghavi, Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home Affairs, was sworn in as the state’s new Deputy Chief Minister on Friday. The oath-taking ceremony took place at the Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre in Gandhinagar, where Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expanded his cabinet.
According to a list released by the Gujarat BJP, several others were also sworn in, including Swaroopji Thakor, Praveenkumar Mali, Rushikesh Patel, Darshana Vaghela, Kunwarji Bavaliya, Rivaba Jadeja, Arjun Modhwadia, Purushottam Solanki, Jitendra Vaghani, Praful Pansheriya, and Kanubhai Desai.
A day prior to the reshuffle, all 16 ministers in the cabinet—excluding CM Bhupendra Patel—resigned to pave the way for the reconstitution of the state government.
At 40, Harsh Sanghavi is known for his rapidly rising popularity in Gujarat politics and is often regarded as a youth icon. He is seen as a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Back in 2016, Sanghavi made history by becoming Gujarat’s youngest Minister of State at the age of 36, heading the powerful Home Department—a portfolio typically held by senior leaders.
Who is Harsh Sanghavi?
Harsh Sanghavi began his political journey in 2012 when he was elected as the youngest MLA from Surat’s Majura constituency at the age of 27. He won by a significant margin and was among the top four MLAs with the highest vote share across Gujarat. Since then, he has successfully retained his seat in both the 2017 and 2022 elections, defeating his rivals by large margins.
Sixth Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat
Sanghavi becomes the sixth person to serve as Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister. The first to hold this position was Congress leader Chimanbhai Patel, who served from March 1972 to July 1973. During the same period, Kantibhai Ghiya, also from Congress, served under then-CM Ghanshyam Oza as Deputy CM.
Sanghavi has been known for spearheading impactful campaigns such as the 2025 Randher demolition drive, major drug bust operations, and the “Clean Tapi” river initiative. He has also taken proactive steps to address youth unemployment by organizing job fairs across the state.