People

Gujarati politicians and public figures

100 leaders of Gujarati origin, grouped by the role they are best known for: national office, the chief ministers of Gujarat, the freedom struggle and reform, and state politics.

Prime Ministers

Morarji Desai

Fourth Prime Minister of India
Born in Bhadeli, Gujarat, he became the first non-Congress Prime Minister of India in 1977 and is the only Indian to receive Pakistan's Nishan-e-Pakistan.
Source: Wikipedia
Narendra Modi

Prime Minister of India
Born in Vadnagar, Gujarat, he served as Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 before becoming Prime Minister of India.
Source: Wikipedia

Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers

Amarsinh Chaudhary

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat
He served as Chief Minister of Gujarat from 1985 to 1989 and was the first tribal leader to hold the post.
Source: Wikipedia
Anandiben Patel

First woman Chief Minister of Gujarat
She served as Gujarat's first female Chief Minister from 2014 to 2016 and later became Governor of Uttar Pradesh.
Source: Wikipedia
Babubhai J. Patel

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat
He served twice as Chief Minister of Gujarat in the 1970s, leading Janata-aligned governments in the state.
Source: Wikipedia
Balwantrai Mehta

Second Chief Minister of Gujarat
He served as Chief Minister of Gujarat from 1963 until his death in 1965 when his aircraft was shot down during the Indo-Pakistani War.
Source: Wikipedia
Bhupendrabhai Patel

Chief Minister of Gujarat
He became the Chief Minister of Gujarat in September 2021 and represents the Ghatlodia constituency in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.
Source: Wikipedia
Chhabildas Mehta

Chief Minister of Gujarat
A veteran Congress leader who served as chief minister in the early 1990s.
Source: Wikipedia
Chimanbhai Patel

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat
He served two terms as Chief Minister of Gujarat, his first in the early 1970s and second in the 1990s, and founded the Kisan Mazdoor Lok Paksh.
Source: Wikipedia
Dilip Parikh

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat
An industrialist-turned-politician, he served briefly as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 1997-1998 for the Rashtriya Janata Party.
Source: Wikipedia
Ghanshyam Oza

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat
He served as Chief Minister of Gujarat in the early 1970s as a Congress leader.
Source: Wikipedia
Hitendra Desai

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat
He served as the third Chief Minister of Gujarat from 1965 to 1971 as a Congress leader.
Source: Wikipedia
Jivraj Narayan Mehta

First Chief Minister of Gujarat
He became the first Chief Minister of Gujarat when the state was formed in 1960 and later served as India's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Source: Wikipedia
Kanti Ram Rana

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat
A senior BJP leader, he served as Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat under Keshubhai Patel in the 1990s.
Source: Wikipedia
Keshubhai Patel

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat
A veteran BJP leader, he twice served as Chief Minister of Gujarat and later founded the Gujarat Parivartan Party.
Source: Wikipedia
Madhavsinh Solanki

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat and Union Minister
He served multiple terms as Chief Minister of Gujarat and briefly as India's Minister of External Affairs, known for the KHAM caste coalition strategy.
Source: Wikipedia
Nitin Patel

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat
A senior BJP leader from Mehsana, he served as Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat and held key finance and health portfolios.
Source: Wikipedia
Rasiklal Umedchand Parikh

Chief Minister of Saurashtra State
A Gujarati independence activist and Congress politician, he served as Chief Minister of Saurashtra State from 1954 to 1956.
Source: Wikipedia
Shankersinh Vaghela

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat
He served as Chief Minister of Gujarat from 1996 to 1997 and later held Union cabinet positions as a Congress leader.
Source: Wikipedia
Suresh Mehta

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat
He served as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 1995-1996 as a BJP leader from Kutch.
Source: Wikipedia
U. N. Dhebar

Chief Minister of Saurashtra and Congress President
Born in Rajkot, he was the first Chief Minister of Saurashtra State and served as President of the Indian National Congress from 1955 to 1959.
Source: Wikipedia
Vijay Rupani

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat
He served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021 and was a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly from Rajkot West.
Source: Wikipedia

National office

Bharatsinh Solanki

Former Union Minister and Gujarat Congress President
A Congress leader from Anand, Gujarat, he served as a Union Minister of State and as president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee.
Source: Wikipedia
C. R. Paatil

Union Minister and Gujarat BJP President
He is the Member of Parliament from Navsari, Gujarat BJP state president, and a Union Cabinet Minister.
Source: Wikipedia
Dahyabhai Patel

Member of Parliament and son of Sardar Patel
Son of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he participated in the Quit India movement, was Mayor of Bombay and served as a Rajya Sabha MP until 1973.
Source: Wikipedia
Devusinh Chauhan

Union Minister of State for Communications
An MP from Kheda, he served as Union Minister of State for Communications in the Government of India from 2021.
Source: Wikipedia
Digvijaysinh Jhala

India's first Union Environment Minister
The Maharaja of Wankaner, he served as Union Deputy Minister for Ecology and Environment from 1982 to 1984 and was an MP from Surendranagar.
Source: Wikipedia
Dinsha Patel

Former Union Minister of State from Gujarat
A Congress leader from Kheda, Gujarat, he served multiple terms as a Member of Parliament and as a Union Minister of State.
Source: Wikipedia
Hirubhai M. Patel

Union Finance and Home Minister of India
A civil servant turned politician, he served as India's Finance Minister and later Home Minister in the Morarji Desai government from 1977 to 1979.
Source: Wikipedia
Jayaben Thakkar

Member of Parliament from Vadodara
A BJP politician, she represented the Vadodara constituency across the 12th, 13th and 14th Lok Sabha.
Source: Wikipedia
Kirit Solanki

Member of Parliament from Ahmedabad West
A surgeon and BJP politician, he was the first MP elected from Ahmedabad West and served three consecutive Lok Sabha terms.
Source: Wikipedia
Mangal Das Pakvasa

Freedom fighter and one of India's first Governors
A Gujarati Nagar freedom fighter and confidant of Gandhi, he was among independent India's first five Governors, serving Madhya Pradesh, Bombay and Mysore.
Source: Wikipedia
Maniben Patel

Freedom fighter and MP, daughter of Sardar Patel
Daughter of Sardar Patel, she was a freedom fighter jailed in the Quit India movement and later a Lok Sabha MP from Sabarkantha and Mehsana.
Source: Wikipedia
Mansukh Mandaviya

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare
A Gujarat-based BJP leader from Bhavnagar, he has served as Union Health Minister and Minister of Labour and Employment.
Source: Wikipedia
Manubhai Shah

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry
He was a Union Cabinet Minister under Nehru, Shastri and Indira Gandhi holding industry, commerce and foreign trade portfolios, and pioneered India's Small Industries development network.
Source: Wikipedia
Mohan Kundariya

Union Minister of State for Agriculture
A BJP MP from Rajkot, he served as Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare from 2014 to 2016.
Source: Wikipedia
Naranbhai Rathwa

Union Minister of State for Railways
A tribal leader who represented Chhota Udaipur five times in the Lok Sabha, he was Union Minister of State for Railways in the UPA government in 2004.
Source: Wikipedia
Nimuben Bambhaniya

Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs
An MP from Bhavnagar and former mayor, she became Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in 2024.
Source: Wikipedia
Poonamben Maadam

Member of Parliament from Jamnagar
A BJP politician, she has represented Jamnagar in the Lok Sabha since 2014 and was earlier an MLA from Khambhalia.
Source: Wikipedia
Purshottam Rupala

Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
A Gujarat-based BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member, he served in the Union Council of Ministers.
Source: Wikipedia
Vajubhai Vala

Gujarat Finance Minister and Governor of Karnataka
A long-serving finance and revenue minister and Assembly Speaker in Gujarat, he later served as Governor of Karnataka from 2014 to 2021.
Source: Wikipedia
Vitthal Radadiya

Member of Parliament from Porbandar
A five-time MLA and two-time MP, he represented Porbandar in the Lok Sabha and switched from Congress to the BJP in 2013.
Source: Wikipedia

Freedom struggle and reform

Abbas Tyabji

Freedom fighter and leader of Dharasana Satyagraha
Born in Cambay and a former Chief Justice of Baroda, this Gandhian led the Dharasana Salt Satyagraha and was called the Grand Old Man of Gujarat.
Source: Wikipedia
Amritlal Vithaldas Thakkar

Social worker known as Thakkar Bapa
Born in Bhavnagar, this engineer-turned-social-worker championed tribal and Dalit welfare and coined the term adivasi.
Source: Wikipedia
Bholanath Divetia

Poet and religious reformer
Born in Ahmedabad, he was the first Gujarati to join the British judiciary and founded the Prarthana Samaj and Dharma Sabha for religious reform.
Source: Wikipedia
Bhulabhai Desai

Freedom fighter & INA trials lawyer
A prominent lawyer and Congress leader who defended the INA soldiers in the historic Red Fort trials.
Source: Wikipedia
Dayananda Saraswati

Founder of the Arya Samaj
Born as Mool Shankar in Tankara, Kathiawar, he was the Hindu reformer and philosopher who founded the Arya Samaj in 1875.
Source: Wikipedia
Durgaram Mehta

Pioneer social reformer of Gujarat
Born in Surat, he founded the Manav Dharma Sabha in 1844, the first reform association in Gujarat, and campaigned for widow remarriage.
Source: Wikipedia
Gijubhai Badheka

Pioneer of Montessori education in India
Born in Gujarat, this lawyer-turned-educator introduced Montessori methods to India and founded the Bal Mandir pre-primary school in Bhavnagar.
Source: Wikipedia
Gopaldas Ambaidas Desai

Prince turned freedom fighter (Darbar Gopaldas)
Ruler of Dhasa state in Saurashtra, he was the first Indian prince to surrender his principality to become a Gandhian freedom fighter.
Source: Wikipedia
Indulal Yagnik

Leader of the Mahagujarat Movement
A freedom fighter and socialist, he led the Mahagujarat Movement that resulted in the creation of Gujarat state in 1960.
Source: Wikipedia
Jhaverchand Meghani

National Poet and freedom fighter
A Gujarati poet, folklorist and freedom fighter given the title Rashtriya Shayar by Gandhi, he was jailed for his patriotic songs.
Source: Wikipedia
Jugatram Dave

Gandhian tribal-welfare activist and freedom fighter
Born in Gujarat, he worked for the education and upliftment of the tribals of south Gujarat at Vedchhi and was jailed in multiple satyagrahas.
Source: Wikipedia
Kanaiyalal Munshi

Freedom fighter, founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
A Gujarati independence activist, politician and writer, he served as a Union minister and founded the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
Source: Wikipedia
Karsandas Mulji

19th-century social reformer and journalist
A Gujarati reformer and journalist who founded Satyaprakash and won the 1862 Maharaj Libel Case, advocating widow remarriage and women's education.
Source: Wikipedia
Kasturba Gandhi

Freedom fighter and wife of Mahatma Gandhi
Born into a Porbandar trading family, she was a political activist who took part in satyagrahas and was repeatedly imprisoned.
Source: Wikipedia
Kishorlal Mashruwala

Gandhian thinker and editor of Harijan
A Surat-rooted associate of Gandhi and first registrar of Gujarat Vidyapith, he edited the periodical Harijan and wrote on Gandhian philosophy.
Source: Wikipedia
Mahadev Desai

Gandhi's secretary & freedom fighter
Mahatma Gandhi's personal secretary and chronicler for 25 years, a key figure of the freedom movement.
Source: Wikipedia
Mahatma Gandhi

Leader of the Indian independence movement
Born in Porbandar, Gujarat, he led India's nonviolent struggle for independence from British rule and is honoured as the Father of the Nation.
Source: Wikipedia
Mahipatram Rupram Nilkanth

Educationist and reformer
Born in Surat, he was a Gujarati educationist, reformer and novelist who wrote the first Gujarati travelogue and social novel.
Source: Wikipedia
Mohanlal Pandya

Freedom fighter of the Kheda Satyagraha
Born in Kheda district, he was an early disciple of Gandhi nicknamed the Onion Thief for his role in initiating the 1918 Kheda Satyagraha.
Source: Wikipedia
Mridula Sarabhai

Freedom fighter and Congress general secretary
Born in Ahmedabad into the Sarabhai family, she was a Congress general secretary and independence activist known for her partition relief work.
Source: Wikipedia
Nanabhai Bhatt

Educationist and independence activist
Born in Bhavnagar, he was an educator and freedom fighter who founded the Dakshinamurti and Gram Dakshinamurti rural education institutions.
Source: Wikipedia
Narhari Parikh

Gandhian activist and writer
Born in Ahmedabad, he was a close associate of Gandhi who organized the Salt Satyagraha in Gujarat and wrote biographies of Patel and Desai.
Source: Wikipedia
Poornima Arvind Pakvasa

Freedom fighter and social worker (Didi of Dangs)
Born near Limbdi in Saurashtra, she joined the Dandi March at eighteen and later devoted her life to tribal welfare in the Dangs.
Source: Wikipedia
Prabhudas Patwari

Freedom fighter and Governor of Tamil Nadu
A Gujarati Gandhian freedom fighter jailed during the Emergency, he served as Governor of Tamil Nadu from 1977 to 1980.
Source: Wikipedia
Ramanbhai Neelkanth

Novelist, reformer and Mayor of Ahmedabad
Born in Ahmedabad, he was a novelist and social reformer who wrote the satire Bhadrambhadra and served as Mayor of Ahmedabad.
Source: Wikipedia
Ranchhodlal Chhotalal

Founder of modern Ahmedabad and textile pioneer
A textile-industry pioneer regarded as the founder of modern Ahmedabad, he was a social activist who started the city's first women's hospital.
Source: Wikipedia
Ranjitram Mehta

Gujarati literary pioneer and cultural organizer
Born in Surat, he founded the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad and Gujarat Sahitya Sabha, and the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak is named after him.
Source: Wikipedia
Ravishankar Maharaj

Gandhian social reformer
A revered Gujarati Gandhian and social worker known as the 'saint of the poor'.
Source: Wikipedia
Sharda Mehta

Pioneer of women's education in Gujarat
Born in Ahmedabad, she was among the first two women graduates in Gujarat and a reformer who founded women's education institutes.
Source: Wikipedia
Sumant Mehta

Physician, freedom fighter and social worker
Born in Surat and physician to the Baroda royals, he joined the freedom movement, led the Gujarat Kisan Sabha and worked in the Bardoli Satyagraha.
Source: Wikipedia
Swami Anand

Gandhian monk, writer and manager of Navajivan
A monk and Gujarati writer, he managed Gandhi's publications Navajivan and Young India and inspired Gandhi's autobiography.
Source: Wikipedia
Usha Mehta

Secret Congress Radio, Quit India
A freedom fighter who ran the underground Congress Radio during the 1942 Quit India Movement.
Source: Wikipedia
Vidyagauri Nilkanth

One of Gujarat's first women graduates
Born in Ahmedabad, she was one of Gujarat's first two women graduates, a social reformer who fought child marriage and championed women's education.
Source: Wikipedia
Vithalbhai Patel

Freedom fighter & first Indian Assembly President
Elder brother of Sardar Patel, a Swaraj Party co-founder and the first Indian President of the Central Legislative Assembly.
Source: Wikipedia

State and contemporary politics

Ahmed Patel

Political advisor and Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat
A veteran Congress leader from Bharuch, Gujarat, he served as political secretary to Sonia Gandhi and party treasurer.
Source: Wikipedia
Alpesh Thakor

Gujarat MLA and OBC leader
An OBC community leader from Gujarat, he serves as a BJP MLA and previously led anti-liquor and social campaigns.
Source: Wikipedia
Amit Shah

Union Home Minister of India
A Gujarat-based politician and former President of the BJP, he serves as India's Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Cooperation.
Source: Wikipedia
Bhikhabhai Patel

Gujarati statesman and independence-era leader
Also known as Bhailalbhai Patel, he was a Gujarati civil engineer and educationist who founded Vallabh Vidyanagar and served in public life.
Source: Wikipedia
Bhupendrasinh Chudasama

Gujarat Cabinet Minister for Education
A BJP MLA from Dholka, he served as Gujarat's Cabinet Minister for Education, Law and Justice in the Vijay Rupani government.
Source: Wikipedia
Dileepbhai Sanghani

Gujarat Cabinet Minister for Agriculture
A four-time MP from Amreli, he served as Gujarat's Cabinet Minister for Agriculture and Cooperation and later chaired IFFCO.
Source: Wikipedia
Ganpatsinh Vasava

Gujarat Cabinet Minister and Assembly Speaker
A tribal leader from Mangrol, he was the first tribal Speaker of the Gujarat Assembly and later Cabinet Minister for Tribal Welfare and Forests.
Source: Wikipedia
Gordhan Zadafia

Gujarat Minister of State for Home
A former VHP leader, he served as Gujarat's Minister of State for Home in Narendra Modi's cabinet during 2001-2002.
Source: Wikipedia
Hansa Mehta

UDHR drafter and reformer
Born in Surat, she helped word the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as all human beings and was a pioneering educationist and women's rights leader.
Source: Wikipedia
Hardik Patel

Gujarat MLA and Patidar reservation leader
He rose to prominence leading the Patidar reservation agitation and later became a BJP MLA from Viramgam.
Source: Wikipedia
Indumati Chimanlal Sheth

Freedom fighter and Gujarat Education Minister
Born in Ahmedabad, this Padma Shri freedom fighter was jailed in the Quit India movement and later served as Education Minister of Gujarat.
Source: Wikipedia
Jay Narayan Vyas

Gujarat Cabinet Minister for Health
A scholar and administrator, he served as Gujarat's Cabinet Minister for Health and Family Welfare from 2007 to 2012.
Source: Wikipedia
Jignesh Mevani

Gujarat MLA and Dalit rights activist
A Dalit rights activist, he serves as an independent MLA from Vadgam supported by the Congress in the Gujarat Assembly.
Source: Wikipedia
Jitu Vaghani

Gujarat Cabinet Minister for Education
An MLA from Bhavnagar West and former Gujarat BJP president, he became the state's Education Minister in 2021.
Source: Wikipedia
Kunwarjibhai Bavaliya

Gujarat Cabinet Minister for Water Supply
A Koli community leader and former Lok Sabha MP, he serves as Gujarat's Cabinet Minister for Water Supply and Animal Husbandry.
Source: Wikipedia
Parshottambhai Solanki

Gujarat Minister of Fisheries
A BJP MLA from Bhavnagar Rural since 1998, he served as Gujarat's Minister of Fisheries.
Source: Wikipedia
Pushpaben Mehta

Social worker and legislator
A Padma Bhushan awardee, she founded numerous women and child welfare organisations in Saurashtra and was an MLA and Rajya Sabha member.
Source: Wikipedia
Rajendra Trivedi

Speaker of the Gujarat Assembly and Cabinet Minister
An advocate and BJP politician from Vadodara, he was Speaker of the Gujarat Assembly from 2018 to 2022 and later a Cabinet Minister.
Source: Wikipedia
Ratubhai Adani

Freedom fighter and Saurashtra/Gujarat minister
A Gujarati freedom fighter who led the Junagadh liberation, he served as a minister in the Saurashtra, Bombay and Gujarat cabinets.
Source: Wikipedia
Rushikesh Patel

Gujarat Cabinet Minister for Health
An MLA from Visnagar, he became Gujarat's Cabinet Minister for Health and Family Welfare in the Bhupendra Patel government in 2021.
Source: Wikipedia
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

First Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India
Born in Nadiad, Gujarat, he was the Iron Man of India who unified over 500 princely states into the Indian Union.
Source: Wikipedia
Saurabh Patel

Gujarat Cabinet Minister for Energy
A five-time MLA, he served as Gujarat's Cabinet Minister for Energy and Petrochemicals for around fourteen years.
Source: Wikipedia
Shankar Chaudhary

Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly
An MLA from Tharad and chairman of Banas Dairy, he has served as Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly since December 2022.
Source: bharatpedia.org
Vinodini Nilkanth

Gujarati writer and educationist
Born in Ahmedabad, she was a Gujarati writer, translator and educationist who headed the Vanita Vishram institute.
Source: Wikipedia

Prime Ministers

Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers

National office

Freedom struggle and reform

State and contemporary politics

Related