CM's deputy Harsh Sanghavi to emerge as face of govt after big Gujarat rejig

Ahmedabad: Having kept the BJP in power for an uninterrupted 27 years, Gujarat's voters have witnessed only small political surprises in recent years, mostly when the high command shunted out chief ministers occasionally. The party bucked the trend last week when all 16 ministers in the state Cabinet tendered their resignation in one go. The only exception was Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

A day after the surprise move, the ruling party inducted 25 ministers into the Cabinet, including 19 fresh faces and six former ministers. It is largely seen as an attempt to tide over the anti-incumbency and bring leaders with a clean public image ahead of the upcoming local body elections and the 2027 Assembly polls.

One notable induction was Harsh Sanghavi, 40, who was elevated from the post of junior home minister to deputy chief minister. With key portfolios such as home, industries and tourism in his hand, Sanghavi is set to play a major role in the government in the coming days.

Thanks to his flamboyant image, Sanghavi is set to emerge as the face of the government, in stark contrast to Chief Minister Patel who has largely shied away from media glare since his surprise elevation in 2021.

The young deputy CM's first major task will be overseeing the 2026 Vibrant Gujarat Summit, a flagship event initiated by Narendra Modi when he was at the helm in the state. The job may not be an uphill one as Sanghavi has been representing the government abroad negotiating for hosting the Commonwealth Games and bidding for the 2036 summer Olympics in Ahmedabad.

A legislator from Majura Assembly constituency in Surat, Sanghavi was first made a minister in 2021 when Patel replaced the then chief minister late Vijay Rupani. Before getting the plum promotion last week, he held the portfolio of minister of state for home, a position previously held by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during Modi's CM tenure.

Since 2021, Sanghavi's clout has been on the rise. Whenever the government faced trouble, he became the go-to figure to take the media heat, whether it was over the Morbi bridge collapse, controversial demolition drives at religious sites like Beyt Dwarka or the eviction of thousands, largely, Muslims, from Ahmedabad's Chandola Lake.

Sanghavi has also been at the forefront of several controversies, making headlines for his remarks on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, 'love jihad', and giving the police a free hand to "teach criminals in their own language".

Observers felt Sanghavi had been taking up the issues that helped the party. "He is only following the party line and all these divisive issues make the BJP thrive. That's his politics," a Gujarat-based political observer said.

His steady rise in the party has been in the making for over two decades. Hailing from an influential Jain family involved in diamond business, Sanghavi has listed, in an election affidavit, his income as mainly coming from Aarush Gems, a diamond firm. The affidavit also reveals that he studied till 9th standard before dropping out in 2001. His education qualification has often been a subject to criticism, especially by Aam Aadmi Party MLA and Patidar leader Gopal Italia, who is emerging as a key Opposition voice in the state.

Sanghavi is known to have received his political break in 2006, when he was tasked with managing the media during the controversial 'Shabri Kumbh' in the tribal-dominated Dangs district of south Gujarat. The event, organised by Hindutva groups to counter the alleged religious conversions by Christian missionaries, attracted significant international attention. Controversial religious figure Aseemanand was one of the key organisers of the event.

In 2012 Sanghavi was given a ticket to contest from Majura, one of the poshest Assembly constituencies in Surat and a BJP fortress. A safe seat, Majura has been electing the young BJP man since then.

"He's excellent at making connections. Name any significant incident or event anywhere in the state, he's likely to be there in person. This has made him the face of the Gujarat BJP for the current generation. From the Surat fire tragedy to the Morbi bridge collapse, or even during the Covid-19 pandemic, Harsh was everywhere," said a senior journalist from Surat who runs a news portal.

Last year when his father, Rameshchandra Sanghvi, died, Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani was one of the prominent figures who attended the condolence meet in Surat. Besides, he has worked closely with the BJP's leaders outside the state, such as Anurag Thakur and Poonam Mahajan.

Sanghavi's popularity and connections are said to have worked in his favour.

"Saheb is result-oriented, sharp and knows how to deal with people. He is good at organising grand events and unlike the public perception (that he is only 9th pass), he can speak fluent English," said a senior IPS officer posted in Gandhinagar.

A colleague from Sanghavi's Yuva Morcha days described him as a "workaholic" whose loyalty to the party was "extraordinary". "His unquestionable loyalty, hard work and networking skills have made him what he is today. His works behind the curtain in organising crucial party events with former Gujarat BJP president and Union minister C R Paatil have made him a reliable leader," the former colleague said.

BJP insiders claimed that Sanghavi has treaded carefully within the party's Gujarat unit which is marred by factionalism. "What is to be seen is whether Sanghavi is allowed to have his own way in a state which is controlled from Delhi. BJP has a tendency of sidelining leaders with mass support," said another political observer.