Harsh Sanghavi sworn in as Gujarat deputy CM, post revived after four years

The swearing-in took place at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, where chief minister Bhupendra Patel and 25 other ministers are to take oath before governor Acharya Devvrat

Published on: Oct 17, 2025, 13:12:25 IST

By Maulik Pathak

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Ahmedabad: Minister Harsh Sanghavi was sworn in as the deputy chief minister of Gujarat on Friday in the Bhupendra Patel-led government, reviving the post after nearly four years.

The swearing-in took place at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, where chief minister Bhupendra Patel and 25 other ministers are to take oath before governor Acharya Devvrat.

Sanghavi, 40, represents the Majura constituency in Surat and is known within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a “politically sharp, organisationally rooted” leader. Seen as close to the party’s central leadership, his rise consolidates South Gujarat’s representation in the new council and reflects the BJP’s intent to blend generational renewal with regional balance.

A three-time MLA, Sanghavi earlier handled key portfolios including home (state), sports, youth, and cultural activities. His appointment as deputy chief minister makes him the youngest to hold the post in Gujarat since the state’s formation. Party insiders describe the move as part of a strategy to strengthen the BJP’s urban and youth base, particularly in South Gujarat, where Sanghavi has built a reputation for disciplined administration and direct public engagement.

Also Read: Gujarat cabinet expansion: A mix of old and new faces; top leaders to be retained

The new 26-member cabinet, which includes seven Patidars, eight OBCs, three Scheduled Castes, four Scheduled Tribes, and three women, reflects a broader social balancing act ahead of the 2026 local body and 2027 Assembly elections.

Sanghavi’s appointment revives the deputy chief minister post in Gujarat after nearly four years, a position last held by Nitin Patel in the Vijay Rupani government before it was discontinued in 2021.

Portfolios are expected to be announced later today.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maulik Pathak
He is an Ahmedabad-based journalist with more than two decades of experience. His career spans business journalism and general news, with reporting across politics, crime, governance, public policy, business, industry, infrastructure, energy, ports, aviation, the environment, wildlife and social issues. He began his career in feature writing before moving into business journalism, reporting on companies and sectors including energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and real estate. Over the years, his work expanded to politics, courts, crime, public policy, civic affairs, the environment and wildlife. His reporting has taken him from government offices and courtrooms to factory floors, ports, forests and remote villages, covering stories that range from industrial investments and financial markets to elections, conservation and issues affecting everyday life. While many assignments demand the pace of the daily news cycle, others require sustained reporting over months and years to follow developments beyond the headlines. He started his journalism career with the Asian Age in Ahmedabad in 2002 as a feature writer and sub-editor. Since 2022, he has been working with Hindustan Times. Earlier, he worked with Business Standard, DNA, The Economic Times, Mint and The Times of India. His longest stint was with Mint, where he spent more than eight years reporting across multiple beats. During his career, he has worked in both reporting and editing roles, contributing to page planning, local editions and special editorial projects as newsrooms evolved from print-first operations to digital publishing. Early in his career, he also worked on media and documentary projects with an NGO and as a copywriter at a communications agency before returning to journalism. Away from work, he sometimes makes time for a pair of binoculars, table tennis, cinema and the occasional poem.Read More

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