Twenty-seven days after assuming office, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari expanded his Cabinet with 35 new ministers Monday, signalling the BJP’s effort to balance regional, caste, and gender representation in its first government in the state.
The Bengal Council of Ministers expanded to 41 members under Adhikari as Governor R N Ravi administered the oath to the new members, including a former domestic worker, a journalist-turned-politician, and a bunch of first-time legislators, at Lok Bhavan in Kolkata.
Earlier, Union Minister-turned-state leader Nisith Pramanik had been among the first ministers sworn in, alongside Agnimitra Paul, Dilip Ghosh, Ashok Kirtania, and Kshudiram Tudu. The election of Rathindra Ghosh as Speaker further strengthened North Bengal’s representation in the new government.
Of the 35 ministers sworn in, 13 were inducted as Cabinet Ministers, three as Ministers of State with Independent Charge, and 19 as Ministers of State.
One of the most notable appointments is Kalita Maji, the MLA from Aushgram in Purba Bardhaman district, who rose from domestic help to minister. Another prominent new face is Biraj Biswas, the young MLA from Karandighi in Uttar Dinajpur, who has also been inducted into the ministry.
Among the ministers from North Bengal who took oath Monday are Biraj Biswas, Shankar Ghosh, Bishal Lama, Juyel Murmu, Anandamoy Burman, Dipak Burman, and Malati Rava Roy.
The Bengal Cabinet expansion has also brought in several new women faces, including Moumita Biswas Misra, Sumana Sarkar, Gargi Ghosh Das, and Purnima Chakraborty, indicating the Bharatiya Janata Party’s effort to strengthen women’s representation in governance.
Several senior leaders have also found a place in the ministry. Among the prominent inductees are Arjun Singh, Dudh Kumar Mondol, Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay, Tapash Roy, and Indranil Khan. Senior journalist-turned-politician Swapan Dasgupta and Jagannath Chattopadhyay have also been inducted.
Thirteen leaders were sworn in as Cabinet Ministers, including Tapash Roy, Dipak Burman, Shankar Ghosh, Arjun Singh, Manoj Oraon, Gouri Shankar Ghosh, Jagannath Chattopadhyay, Swapan Dasgupta, Kalyan Chakraborty, Anup Kumar Das, Ajay Kumar Poddar, Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay, and Dudh Kumar Mondol.
Three Minister-of-State (Independent Charge) Malati Rava Roy, Indranil Khan, and Rajesh Mahato.
Malati Rava Roy, Indranil Khan, and Rajesh Mahato took oath as Ministers of State (Independent Charge).
Nineteen legislators were inducted as Ministers of State, including Ashok Dinda, Umesh Roy, Koushik Chowdhury, Kalita Maji, Moumita Biswas Misra, Gargi Ghosh Das, Dipankar Jana, Purnima Chakraborty, Bishal Lama, Harikrishna Bera, Anandamoy Burman, Shantanu Pramanik, Biraj Biswas, Amiya Kisku, Juyel Murmu, Bhaskar Bhattacharya, Dibakar Gharami, Sumana Sarkar and Nadiar Chand Bouri.