After the high-pitched drama on Friday over the naming of the new Chief Minister of Gujarat, the first-time MLA from Rajkot West and Amit Shah confidant Vijay Rupani took oath as the 16th Chief Minister of the State on Sunday.

Nitin Patel, the second-in-command in Anandiben Patel government, was made Deputy Chief Minister.

State Governor OP Kohli administered the oath of office and secrecy to Rupani and Patel along with seven Cabinet Ministers and 16 Ministers of State.

Top BJP leaders greeted the new team at the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. The ceremony was held in the presence of senior leaders, including LK Advani, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, BJP president Amit Shah, Ram Lal and Karnataka Governor and BJP leader from Rajkot Vajubhai Vala.

Also present were a large number of religious leaders from different sects.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the new team on Twitter. “Congrats to @vijayrupanibjp, Nitinbhai Patel & others sworn-in as they begin their innings to continue the development journey of Gujarat.”

They were also greeted by the Chief Ministers of other BJP-ruled States, Manohar Lal Khattar from Haryana and Devendra Fadnavis from Maharashtra as well as the outgoing Chief Minister Anandiben Patel.

Gujarat's first woman Chief Minister, Patel resigned last week following political pressure over escalating Patidar reservation agitation ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled later next year.

Modi also lauded Anandiben Patel's leadership in Gujarat. “I applaud the dedicated service of @anandibenpatel, who has been working tirelessly for the people of Gujarat for many years.”

Carefully crafted cabinet

Rupani and Patel, under the guidance of BJP chief Amit Shah, carefully selected their new Council of Ministers, maintaining caste balance in the backdrop of the recent Dalit agitation and Patidar reservation agitation.

Rupani's Cabinet has four Patel leaders, including the Deputy CM, two OBC and one dalit and tribal leader each. However, the dominance of Saurashtra was seen in the Cabinet formation with four Ministers. South Gujarat has two ministers and North Gujarat one.

“We have ensured representations from all the regions and of all communities. We are following 'Sau no sath, sau no vikas' (Support of all, progress for all),” Rupani told media after the swearing-in.

The new cabinet will meet tomorrow, he added.

Speaker becomes minister

The Speaker of the Gujarat Assembly, Ganpat Vasava and Deputy Speaker Atmaram Parmar also resigned on Saturday. Vasava, a tribal face from South Gujarat, was inducted as a Minister in the new Cabinet.

The new face in the Vijay Rupani Cabinet is Chiman Shapariya from Jamnagar district, while Dilip Thakor and Jayesh Radadiya were elevated to Cabinet rank from MoS post. Senior BJP leaders Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and Babu Bokharia were retained.

Three Cabinet Ministers in the Andandiben Cabinet — Mangubhai Patel, Saurabh Patel and Dalit leader Ramanlal Vora did not find place in the new Cabinet.

Saurabh Patel's exclusion is seen as a major upset ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in January next year. Patel held the crucial energy and petrochemicals portfolio since December 2002, in the Narendra Modi government and continued under Anandiben Patel as well.

Significant exclusion

Saurabh Patel's exclusion is seen significant at a time when talks of Central hydrocarbons major, ONGC is understood to be under way to buy Gujarat government-run GSPC's KG basin assets.

Even as the Rupani-Patel leadership retained eight of the 16 MoS of the Anandiben Patel government, the duo tried major changes in the remaining MoS posts by inducting more of Patels such as Ishwar Patel, Rohit Patel, Vallabh Kakadiya, and Vallabh Vaghasiya, while keeping one candidate each for SC and ST, Keshaji Chauhan and Shabdsharan Tadvi.

Close Anandiben aide Vasuben Trivedi was replaced by MLA from Vadodara district Rajendra Trivedi.

Surprisingly, facing assembly elections in December next year, Rupani-Patel duo kept only one female face – Nirmala Wadhwani from Ahmedabad.

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