Speculations are flying thick and fast ever since all 16 ministers in the Gujarat cabinet, except Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, resigned on Thursday, a day ahead of the planned expansion of the state cabinet.
Local media reports claim that the BJP may resort to the 'no-repeat' theory of 2021, which means no minister from the previous government would be reappointed.
There are also speculations of a deputy chief minister being appointed in the state, and that a tribal leader may be appointed to this post.
According to local media reports, one of the major reasons for considering a tribal MLA for the post of deputy chief minister is that the BJP is facing a stiff challenge from the AAP, which has been wooing tribal voters.
There are indications that the new cabinet will have 23 members. Gujarat, which has a 182-member assembly, can have a maximum of 27 ministers. Young and women leaders are likely to have an increased representation in the new cabinet, say media reports.
The BJP is planning to balance caste and regional equations in the new cabinet.
There are speculations that the new cabinet will have six Patidar ministers, four belonging to the Thakor-Koli community, two Brahmin and two Kshatriya ministers and two each from SC and ST.
However, there is no official confirmation from the BJP regarding the caste and region equations and the number of ministers in the new cabinet.
The outgoing council of ministers had 17 members, including CM Patel. Eight of them were cabinet-rank ministers, while the others were ministers of state (MoS).
The oath-taking ceremony of the ministers inducted in the new cabinet will be held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar on Friday. Governor Acharya Devvrat will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers inducted.