Big boost to Gujarat ahead of 2022 polls

GANDHINAGAR: Elevating two junior ministers to the cabinet rank and inducting three other MPs into the council of ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has bolstered Gujarat’s representation in his government ahead of the 2022 assembly election in the state.
The number of Gujarat MPs in the Modi government has now increased from four to seven, making this perhaps the biggest number in a Union cabinet in the state’s political history.
Until now, two Gujarat MPs – Amit Shah and S Jaishankar (he is RS MP from the state although he is not from Gujarat) – were cabinet ministers while Mansukh Mandaviya and Parshottam Rupala were junior ministers.
On Wednesday, Mandaviya and Rupala were elevated to the cabinet rank while three new faces - Darshana Jardosh, Mahendra Mujapara and Devusinh Chauhan – were inducted as junior ministers.
The cabinet reshuffle reflects an attempt to strike a balance between castes, communities and regions in the state ahead of next year’s assembly elections. Mandaviya is a Leuva Patel leader, Rupala from the Kadva Patel community (both from Saurashtra), Mahendra Munjapara represents the OBC Koli community of Saurashtra, Devusinh Chauhan belongs to the OBC Thakor community of central Gujarat and Darshana Jardosh is a Brahmin from south Gujarat whose husband belongs to the OBC. A senior BJP leader said, “The state has not got such a representation in any Union government since 1960. The Prime Minister and seven ministers in the Union cabinet are now from Gujarat.”