Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani expanded his cabinet on 9 March by inducting three members.
The names include Congress turncoat Jawahar Chavda, who was rewarded with a ministerial berth a day after he joined the BJP.
BJP MLA from Manjalpur of Vadodara district Yogesh Patel and Jamnagar West MLA Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, who had crossed over from Congress, were the other two members inducted into the cabinet.
Gujarat Governor OP Kohli administered the oath of office to them. After the swearing-in ceremony, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel told reporters outside the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar:
“The ministry of Vijay Rupani was expanded today with the induction of three ministers. Jawahar Chavda was inducted as a cabinet minister, while Yogesh Patel and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja were included as minister of state.”
The function was held in the presence of select few, including chief minister, few ministers and some top officials inside the Raj Bhavan without any prior announcement.
Chavda to Head Tourism and Fisheries departments.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday allocated portfolios to new inductees in his cabinet, including Congress turncoat Jawahar Chavda who will head Tourism and Fisheries departments.
BJP MLAs Yogesh Patel and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja took oath as ministers of state. Patel is made the MoS for Narmada and Urban Housing Development, and Jadeja the MoS for Food and Civil Supplies. The CM also appointed Vaghodia MLA Madhu Shrivastav as Chairman of the Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Limited.
The chief minister has allocated Tourism and Fisheries department to Chavda, stated an official release issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO). Until now, Forest and Environment Minister Ganpat Vasva was holding the charge of Tourism ministry while Fisheries department was handled by minister Purshottam Solanki, who has been unwell.
Gujarat Cabinet Has 24 Ministers
The chief minister had last expanded his cabinet in July 2018 and inducted veteran leader Kunvarji Bavaliya, on the same day of him quitting the Congress.
With their induction, the number of ministers in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government has gone up to 24. As per the rules, the size of the council of ministers should not exceed 15 percent of the total number of members of the state assembly. So, the Rupani-led government can have a total of 27 ministers.
Chavda is a four-time MLA from Manavadar constituency and a prominent leader of OBC Ahir community. He had resigned as MLA as well as the Congress party and joined the BJP on Friday, 8 March.
A seven-time MLA from Manjalpur, Yogesh Patel had earlier expressed dissatisfaction against the BJP government over several issues, including lack of representation from the Vadodara region, in the Rupani cabinet.
After quitting Congress ahead of the 2017 assembly polls, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and contested from Jamnagar West constituency on a BJP ticket and won.
Gujarat Congress Lashes Back
The BJP does not trust its own leaders and was poaching those from the Congress, said the opposition party's state unit chief Amit Chavda . He was reacting to Chavda being inducted into the Vijay Rupani cabinet on Saturday, 9 March, a day after the former quit the Congress as well as the Legislative Assembly and joined the ruling BJP.
“The BJP is staring at defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. It does not trust on its own workers and lacks capable leadership. This is the reason why the BJP is getting Congress leaders to join it using greed and threats. BJP workers spend their entire life for the party but get no value within it. Just to win polls, the BJP takes away winning Congress candidates and makes them ministers.”Amit Chavda, Gujarat Congress President
Chavda added that the people of Gujarat would give a befitting reply to this "insult" of its "mandate". He claimed such movement by some leaders to the ruling party would not demoralise Congress workers who will continue to fight for the people.
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