Gujarat Assembly forms financial, house committees for 2026-27
Synopsis
The Gujarat Legislative Assembly has reconstituted its full slate of financial and non-financial committees for 2026-27, with four key financial panels returned unopposed and over a dozen senior legislators — several of them former ministers — named as chairpersons. The exercise sets the oversight architecture for the state's public finances and legislative administration for the year ahead.
Key Takeaways
The Gujarat Legislative Assembly constituted financial and non-financial committees for 2026-27 on 20 May .
Four financial panels — Estimates, Public Accounts, Public Undertakings, and Panchayati Raj — were declared elected unopposed.
Chavda , Pankaj Desai , Ramanlal Vora , and Uday Kangad chair the four key financial committees.
Speaker Shankar Chaudhary heads the Rules and Library committees; Deputy Speaker Purnesh Modi chairs the Petitions Committee.
Several chairpersons are former state ministers, bringing substantial executive experience to legislative oversight roles.
The Gujarat Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, 20 May announced the constitution of its financial and non-financial committees for the 2026-27 financial year, with four key financial panels declared elected unopposed and several senior legislators named as committee chairpersons. The announcement was made through an official statement issued by the Gujarat Legislative Assembly Secretariat in Gandhinagar.
Key Financial Committee Appointments
Under Rule 156(1) of the Rules of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, Speaker Shankar Chaudhary appointed C.J. Chavda as chairman of the Estimates Committee, Pankaj Desai as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Ramanlal Vora as chairman of the Committee on Public Undertakings, and Uday Kangad as chairman of the Panchayati Raj Committee.
The Secretariat noted that these committees are responsible for oversight of the state's financial management, scrutiny of public expenditure, evaluation of public undertakings, and monitoring of Panchayati Raj institutions. All four financial panels were returned unopposed.
Non-Financial Committee Heads
Speaker Shankar Chaudhary will personally head the Rules Committee and the Library Committee. Deputy Speaker Purnesh Modi has been appointed chairman of the Petitions Committee.
Hardik Patel takes charge of the Subordinate Legislation Committee, Malati Maheshwari will head the Committee for the Welfare of Scheduled Castes, and Amit Shah has been named chairman of the Committee on Government Assurances.
Other appointments include Mohan Dhodiya as chairman of the Committee for the Welfare of Scheduled Tribes, Vinod Mordiya as chairman of the Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House, and Sangeeta Patil as chairperson of the Members' Residence Committee.
Additionally, Meghji Chavda heads the Committee on Papers Laid on the Table of the House, Arjunsinh Chauhan chairs the Committee on Private Members' Business, Keshu Patel chairs the Privileges Committee, Mukesh Patel chairs the Committee on Rules Relating to Members' Allowances, and Alpesh Thakor chairs the Committee for the Welfare of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes.
What the Speaker Said
'The committees hold special importance in the smooth management of the financial and administrative responsibilities of the Legislative Assembly,' the official statement quoted Speaker Chaudhary as saying.
Profiles of Senior Appointees
Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, who has held the post since December 2022, previously served in the Gujarat government with portfolios spanning health and family welfare, transport, urban housing, medical education, environment, and urban development. He also headed major cooperative institutions including Banas Dairy and The Banaskantha District Central Co-operative Bank.
Deputy Speaker Purnesh Modi previously served as state minister for roads and buildings, transport, civil aviation, tourism, and pilgrimage development. Mukesh Patel and Vinod Mordiya have also served as ministers of state in the Gujarat government, lending significant administrative experience to the newly constituted panels.
The reconstitution of committees marks the start of the legislature's oversight cycle for the new financial year, with the panels expected to begin formal proceedings in the coming weeks.
Point of View
But the roster reveals the BJP's preference for rewarding experienced legislators with oversight roles rather than using committees as training grounds for newer members. With multiple former ministers heading financial and welfare panels, the Assembly signals institutional continuity — though critics could argue it blurs the line between the executive and legislative scrutiny functions these committees are meant to perform. The unopposed return of all four financial panels also points to an absence of meaningful contestation within the ruling bloc, which raises questions about the vigour of internal accountability.
NationPress
5 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Which financial committees were constituted by the Gujarat Assembly for 2026-27?
The Gujarat Legislative Assembly constituted four key financial committees for 2026-27: the Estimates Committee, the Public Accounts Committee, the Committee on Public Undertakings, and the Panchayati Raj Committee. All four were declared elected unopposed.
Who are the chairpersons of the financial committees?
C.J. Chavda chairs the Estimates Committee, Pankaj Desai heads the Public Accounts Committee, Ramanlal Vora leads the Committee on Public Undertakings, and Uday Kangad chairs the Panchayati Raj Committee.
What role does Speaker Shankar Chaudhary play in the new committees?
Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, who has held the post since December 2022, will personally head the Rules Committee and the Library Committee, in addition to overseeing the overall constitution of the panels.
Who chairs the non-financial committees in the Gujarat Assembly?
Deputy Speaker Purnesh Modi chairs the Petitions Committee, Hardik Patel heads the Subordinate Legislation Committee, Amit Shah chairs the Committee on Government Assurances, and Alpesh Thakor chairs the Committee for the Welfare of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes, among others.
Why do these committees matter for Gujarat's governance?
The financial committees are responsible for scrutinising public expenditure, overseeing public undertakings, and monitoring Panchayati Raj institutions, forming a critical check on the state government's use of public funds. The non-financial panels handle legislative procedure, member welfare, and social welfare oversight.
