Gujarat cabinet: Kanu Desai gets Finance, Rushikesh Patel allotted Health

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], December 12 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who took oath on Monday along with his 16 other ministers, later allocated portfolios to them.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel allotted portfolios to his cabinet ministers who took oath at a ceremony here on Monday.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel kept the portfolio of Urban Development, Urban Housing Development, Road and Building, Mining, Tourism, Narmada and Kalpsar, Port and Information Broadcasting departments.
Kanu Desai has been given the Finance and Energy and Petrochemicals departments.
Rushikesh Patel has been given the responsibility of Health, Education, Law and Parliamentary Affairs. Balvantsinh Rajput has been allotted the department of Industries, Small and Medium Scale Industries.

Raghavji Patel has been made the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Rural Development. Kunwarji Bavalia has been allotted the Ministries of Water Irrigation and Civil Supply. Further, Mulubhai Bera has been given the charge of Tourism, Cultural, Forest and Environment and Climate change. Kuber Dindor has been made the Minister for Tribal Development as well as for Primary and Higher Secondary Education. Bhanuben Babariya has been given the department of Social welfare and Justice and Women Development.
There are eight Ministers of State in the council.
Harsh Sanghavi has been made MoS for Youth and Cultural activities, Home and Transport. Jagdish Vishwakarma has made MoS, Cooperative, Salt industry, Printing and Small Scale Industry. He is also made Minister of State for Civil Aviation.
Parshottam Solanki has been given the charge of MoS, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry. Bachhu Khabad has been given the responsibility of MoS for Agriculture and Panchayat. Further, Mukesh Patel has been made MOS for Forest and Environment, Climate Change, Water Supply and Irrigation.
Praful Pansheriya has been given the responsibility of MoS, Parliamentary Affairs, Primary, Secondary and Higher Education. Bhikhusinh Parmar has been made MoS, Civil Supply and Social Welfare.
Kunwarji Halpati has been made MoS for Tribal Development, Labour and Employment and Rural Development.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bhupendra Patel on Monday took oath as the 18th Chief Minister of Gujarat. The oath was administered by Governor Acharya Devvrat at the helipad ground inside the new secretariat complex in Gandhinagar this afternoon.
Kanubhai Mohanlal Desai, Rushikesh Ganeshbhai Patel, Patel Raghavjibhai Hansrajbhai, Balvantsinh Chandan Singh Rajput, Kunwarji Mohanbhai Babariya, Mulubhai Haridasbhai Bera, Kuberbhai Mansukhbhai Dindor, Bhanuben Manoharbhai Babariya, Harsh Rameshkumar Sanghvi, Jagdish Vishwakarma, Purshottambhai Solanki, Khabar Bachubhai Maganbhai, Mukeshbhai Patel, Bhikhusinh Parmar, Praful Pansheriya, Kunwarjibhai Halpati also took oath in the Gujarat cabinet.
Bhupendra Patel took the oath for the second straight term as the Chief Minister.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of BJP-led states.
BJP swept the Gujarat Assembly election winning a whopping 156 seats, which is the highest number of seats any party has won after the formation of the state in the year 1960. The BJP's seventh consecutive Assembly poll win in Gujarat is its biggest since the founding of this state in 1960.
Notably, there has always been a strong contest between the BJP and Congress in Gujarat, but this time around, Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) entry made this election an interesting one. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal tried hard to woo the people of Gujarat with the promises of providing free electricity and water, Rs 1,000 per month for women and a loan waiver for farmers. On the other hand, Congress also tried to attract voters with all kinds of sops.
The BJP bagged 156 seats in the 182-member Assembly, its highest-ever poll tally in the state. The opposition Congress could manage only 17 seats while Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party had to be content with just 5 seats.
Three seats went to Independent candidates while the Samajwadi Party (SP) won a lone seat in the state.
The BJP, which has won its seventh straight election in Gujarat, not only improved its own best record of 127 seats in 2002-- the first election with Narendra Modi as Chief Minister -- but the Congress' tally of 149 seats in 1985. (ANI)