The recent expansion of Gujarat's cabinet under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has delivered a stark rebuke to several high-profile defectors from the Congress, most notably Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor, who now face an uncertain future within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Once celebrated as leaders of powerful reservation agitations that challenged the BJP's dominance, the pair joined the ruling party expecting ministerial rewards. Instead, the "Bhupendra Patel 3.0" lineup, announced on October 17, 2025, excluded them entirely, prioritizing loyalists and fresh faces in a move widely interpreted as a consolidation of internal discipline.

Hardik Patel, the architect of the Patidar reservation movement that mobilized thousands in 2015, defected from Congress to BJP in 2024, leveraging his social media savvy and Viramgam base for political ascent. Alpesh Thakor, a grassroots icon of the OBC agitation, followed a similar path after resigning from Congress, eyeing a prominent role like Deputy Chief Minister.

Their ambitions, however, clashed with the BJP's calculus: Vav MLA Swaroopji Thakor was inducted instead of Alpesh, underscoring that community leadership alone does not secure a berth. This exclusion extends to other turncoats, including former ministers Raghavji Patel and Balwantsinh Rajput, pruned to make room for newcomers like Sanjay Singh Mahida under the Kshatriya quota.

The pattern of sidelining is evident in C.J. Chavda's case as well, part of Congress's erstwhile "JCB trio." After winning Vijapur on a BJP ticket, Chavda anticipated a cabinet spot, only to be overlooked in favor of other community representatives. The reshuffle, blending caste arithmetic with strategic messaging, retains only a few ex-Congress figures like Kunwarji Bavaliya, while dropping others, signaling the BJP's preference for ideological alignment over imported political capital.

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Congress leaders have pounced on the development, accusing the BJP of exploiting defectors like Hardik and Alpesh—whom they branded "betrayers of their communities"—only to discard them post-election. Within BJP circles, the move is hailed as a masterstroke of party discipline, ensuring that past agitations against the establishment do not translate to unchecked influence. As Gujarat eyes the 2027 Assembly polls, this cabinet calculus reinforces the party's message: true power flows from unwavering loyalty, leaving former rebels to navigate the shadows of sidelined ambition.

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