9 new faces in Modi's team

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi inducted 18 members into his ministry, including nine new faces.

While seven ministers, including veterans Ashok Bhatt and Anil Patel, have been dropped, seven others have lost their posts after being defeated in the recently concluded Assembly elections.

There were 26 ministers in Modi's last term. Sources said Modi may go in for another cabinet expansion at a later stage.

Loyalists like Dilip Sanghani, Kiritsinh Rana and Mayaben Kodnani were some of the obvious new faces, while names like Jay Narayan Vyas and Jaysinh Chauhan saw some raised eyebrows. Of the nine new ministers "" Sanghani, Rana, Kodnani, Vyas, Chauhan, Nitin Patel, Fakir Vaghela, Parbat Patel and Vasan Ahir "" Chauhan, Kodnani and Parbat Patel will be ministers in the state assembly for the first time.

In spite of the Patel community's reported dissent against Modi, the Assembly now features around five Patel ministers, including former minister of state for finance Saurabh Patel, water supply and water resource minister Narottam Patel and forests and environment minister Mangubhai Patel.

Prominent among the seven sitting ministers who lost elections were Kaushik Patel (Revenue), I K Jadeja (Urban Development) and Bhupendrasinh Chudasma (Agriculture). Two other ministers "" C D Patel and Harjivan Patel "" were not given tickets by the BJP.

The portfolios have been allotted as under: Cabinet Ministers: Vajubhai Vala: Finance, employment, Anandiben Patel: Revenue, R&B, Narottam Patel: Panchayats, Rural Development, Food & Civil Supplies, Ramanlal Vora: Education, Mangubhai Patel: Tribal Development, Forest & Environment, Dilip Sanghani: Agriculture, Co-operatives, Fakirbhai Waghela: Social Justice, Jaynarayan Vyas: Health, Tourism, Nitin Patel: Urban Development, Water resources

Ministers of State: Amit Shah: Home, Legal, Saurabh Patel: Power, Industries, Petrochemicals, Mines & Minerals, Parbat Patel: Water resources and health, Kiritsinh Rana: Forest and Environment, Vasan Ahir: Backward Classes Upliftment, Jaswantsinh Bhabhor: Tribal Development, Jaysinh Chauhan: Protocol, Parshottam Solanki: Fisheries, Mayaben Kodnani: Women Welfare