It is perhaps for the first time that Gujarat Chief Minister’s cabinet is home to first-timers. Of the 24 ministers inducted on Thursday, 12 are first time MLAs and as good as 21 have become ministers for the first time. This indicates a clean break from his predecessor Vijay Rupani’s ministry. No member from the Rupani-led ministry has been inducted.
This new strength, led by Patel, a first-term BJP MLA and minister, the strength has gone up to 25 and it also includes two women.
Here is a brief on the 12 first-time MLAs now ministers in the new cabinet. And if we count the CM Bhupendra Patel, then the strength of first-timers in the cabinet is 13.
1. Bhupendrabhai Patel (MLA – 2017)
Bhupendra Patel was sworn in as the 17th Chief Minister of Gujarat on Monday, September 13. Born on July 15, 1962, Bhupendra Patel has pursued a Diploma in Engineering. He is the second MLA from the Ghatlodia assembly seat to reach the Chief Minister’s post. In 2017, Ghatlodia contested from the assembly seat for the first time. Patel was the chairman of Memnagar municipality from 1999-2000, 2004-2005. And after that from 2010 to 2015 Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s standing committee chairman.
2. Gajendrasinh Udesinh Parmar (MLA – 2017)
Gajendrasinh Udesinh Parmar, elected from the Prantij constituency. He was born on January 24, 1978. He is an Arts graduate. He is into the farming and animal husbandry business. In his free time, Parmar enjoys reading and cricket.
3. Nareshbhai Maganbhai Patel (MLA – 2017)
He is the MLA from the Scheduled Tribe-reserved Gandevi Assembly constituency in Navsari district. A first-term MLA, the 53-year-old is also the president of BJP’s Navsari district. His assembly vertical falls under the Navsari Lok Sabha constituency is represented by the state BJP president CR Paatil.
4. Vinodbhai Amarsibhai Moradiya (MLA – 2017)
Vinodbhai Amarshibhai Moradiya, Katargam, has been elected from the Surat constituency. He was born on July 10, 1967. He too They are engaged in farming and social service business. He has been working as a corporator at the Surat Municipal Corporation, 2009-2010, 2010-2016. He is the Chairman of, Town Planning Committee, Surat Municipal Corporation.
5. Purnesh Kumar Ishwarlal Modi (MLA – 2017)
Purnesh Modi was elected from the Surat (West) Assembly constituency in the 2013 by-election after sitting MLA Kishor Vankawala’s demise. He continued to retain the seat in the 2017 polls. This is for the first time that the BJP legislator will serve as a cabinet minister.
Modi had filed a criminal defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his comment regarding the “Modi” surname during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign.
6. Arvind Gordhanbhai Raiyani (MLA – 2017)
Arvind Raiyani is elected from the Rajkot (East) assembly constituency. He was born on January 9, 1977, in Rajkot.
7. Brijesh Kumar Amarshibhai Merja (MLA – 2017)
The BJP MLA from Morbi Assembly constituency was earlier in the Congress party. Merja is among the MLAs who left the Congress to join the BJP. He won the 2017 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket, then switched sides to the ruling BJP party and went on to win the 2020 by-election from the same seat. Merja had resigned ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections in 2020, leaving the Congress in a position where it could not win more than one seat.
8. Devabhai Punjabhai Malam (MLA – 2017)
Devabhai Malam is elected from the Keshod assembly constituency in Junagadh. He was born on January 16, in Mangrol taluka. He won the election in 2017 on the same seat. He has studied till only grade fourth and is engaged in the business of farming.
9. Raghavbhai c. Makwana (MLA – 2017)
Raghavbhai Makwana contested elections from Mahuva, Bhavnagar in the year 2017. He was born on born October 8, 1970, in Mahuva taluka. He has pursued a Diploma in Engineering.
10. Jagdishbhai Panchal (MLA – 2017)
Jagdishbhai Panchal is MLA from the Nikol assembly constituency in Ahmedabad. Panchal has won two times from this seat. The 70-year-old is a businessman and till recently served as the Ahmedabad city, BJP President.
11. Pradipbhai Khanabhai Parmar (MLA – 2017)
Pradipbhai Parmar is the MLA from the Scheduled Cast-reserved Asarwa Assembly constituency of Ahmedabad. A first-time MLA, Parmar rose from being a booth-level worker to an MLA and in 2021 is elected as a cabinet minister. The 57-year-old’s dedication to the BJP party for over three decades has finally paid off.
12 Arjun Singh Udesinh Chauhan (MLA – 2017)
Arjun Chauhan is the BJP MLA from the Mahemdavad constituency. At 47, Chauhan is a first-time MLA from the constituency in Kheda district, neighbour to Ahmedabad city and perhaps one of the young faces in the cabinet.
13. Kuberbhai Mansukhbhai Dindor (MLA – 2017)
Kuberbhai Dindor is elected from Santrampur, the assembly constituency. He received his M.A. and then pursued his PhD.
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