HEIR APPARENT

Harsh Sanghavi, coronated as deputy CM, is the new No. 2 in Gujarat

- By Jumana Shah

A GASP OF SURPRISE ROSE UP IN THE convention hall of Mahatma Mandir as Harsh Sanghavi took oath as Gujarat’s deputy chief minister.

To be sure, this scion of an affluent Jain family in the diamond business, a beaver-like MoS with a raft of portfolios, was set for an elevation to cabinet level. The previous day had seen 16 ministerial resignations—the second time the Gujarat cabinet was made to exit en masse. In 2021, when the Vijay Rupani cabinet was decommissioned, it included the CM. This time, Bhupendra Patel was safe. But everyone was taken aback by the new 40-year-old installed by his side in the October 17 reboot.