Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 1 (ANI): The West Bengal cabinet underwent a major expansion on Monday with 35 new ministers taking oath as ministers at Lok Bhawan in Kolkata.
Governor RN Ravi administered the oath, bringing the total strength of the Council of Ministers to 41 under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s administration. The expansion marks a significant reshuffle as the state government moves to strengthen its administrative team and governance across various departments.
MLAs Dipak Barman, Arjun Singh, Shankar Ghosh, Gauri Shankar Ghosh, Tapash Roy, Manoj Kumar Oraon, Jagannath Chattopadhyay, Ajoy Poddar, Swapan Dasgupta, Sharadwat Mukherjee and Kalyan Chakraborti were among those sworn in as new ministers.
The ceremony at Lok Bhawan reflects the growing responsibilities and portfolios being distributed among the new ministers.
The swearing-in ceremony took place three weeks after 55-year-old Adhikari assumed office as Chief Minister on May 9, following the BJP’s victory in 208 of the 294 assembly seats. The win paved the way for the party’s first government in the state, bringing an end to Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule.
Alongside Suvendu Adhikari, BJP legislators Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Nisith Pramanik, Ashok Kirtania and Kshudiram Tudu were also sworn in as ministers during the ceremony.
The cabinet presents a balanced mix of senior leadership, organizationally strong functionaries, socially representative faces, and professionally accomplished individuals, with the average age of ministers pegged at 57 years. Four ministers are below the age of 50, with Mathabhanga MLA Nishith Pramanick emerging as the youngest member of the cabinet.
The cabinet also reflects strong educational credentials, with 83 per cent of ministers (15 members) holding graduate or higher degrees and nearly 67 per cent (12 members) possessing postgraduate qualifications or above. Three cabinet members also hold PhD degrees.
The composition of the cabinet reflects representation across 13 distinct caste groups, including representation from 8 of the top 10 caste groups in West Bengal.
Among the 3 Scheduled Caste (SC) ministers, representation has been given to both Rajbongshi and Namasudra communities, ensuring outreach to key SC voters. Nishith Pramanick and Deepak Burman represent the Rajbongshi community, while Ashok Kirtania represents the Namasudra community.
In Scheduled Tribe (ST) representation, Manoj Kumar Oraon represents the Oraon community and the tea garden belt of North Bengal, while Kshudiram Tudu represents the Santhal community from the Junglemahal region.
The cabinet also reflects regional representation across the party’s five zones, with 4 ministers drawn from Uttar Banga and Nabadwip, 3 from Kolkata, 2 from HHM and 5 Ministers from Rarh Banga.
A notable feature of the cabinet is the inclusion of leaders from diverse professional backgrounds, including medical practitioners, academicians, teachers, journalists and public intellectuals.
Among medical professionals inducted into the cabinet are Dr Ajay Kumar Poddar and Dr Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay, while academicians include Dr Kalyan Chakraborty and Dr Shankar Ghosh.
The cabinet also includes journalists and public intellectuals such as Swapan Dasgupta and Jagannath Chattopadhyay. Five ministers have teaching backgrounds, including Nishith Pramanick, Manoj Kumar Oraon, Deepak Burman, Arup Kumar Das and Kshudiram Tudu.
Several ministers have previously held key organisational positions within the party, including former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, state vice presidents Deepak Burman, Agnimitra Paul and Jagannath Chattopadhyay, along with BJP ST Morcha national secretary Kshudiram Tudu.
The cabinet also includes leaders with extensive legislative and administrative experience, including one former Union Minister, one former state cabinet minister, 4 former MPs and 9 multiple-term MLAs, as well as members from the BJP party organisation.
Nishith Pramanick has previously served as a Union Minister, while Tapash Roy is a former state cabinet minister. Former MPs in the cabinet include Dilip Ghosh, Arjun Singh and Swapan Dasgupta.
Several ministers are also seasoned legislators, including Tapash Roy, a six-term MLA; Arjun Singh, a five-term MLA; Manoj Kumar Oraon, a three-term MLA; Deepak Burman, Shankar Ghosh, Gauri Sankar Ghosh, Ashok Kirtania, Arup Kumar Das, Shrimati Agnimitra Paul, and Ajay Kumar Poddar, all two-term MLAs.Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Arjun Singh, on Monday who is part of the new cabinet, expressed his readiness to take on new responsibilities in line with party and public expectations, as the West Bengal cabinet is set for expansion
Speaking to ANI, Singh said, “I always take on new responsibilities and strive to fulfil them.”
Singh highlighted his commitment to align with his party’s direction while ensuring public welfare.
He added, “Even today, I am about to take on a new responsibility. Whatever the government wants, the party wants, or the people want, we must rise to the occasion–that is our priority.” (ANI)
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