BJP clears Cabinet expansion in West Bengal and Assam
The new BJP-led Governments in West Bengal and Assam are all set to expand their Council of Ministers after getting a go-ahead from the central BJP leadership on Sunday.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that 35 ministers will be sworn in on Monday as part of the expansion of his Cabinet, while Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said his ministry would be expanded with the swearing in of new ministers on June 5.
Adhikari said Governor RN Ravi will administer the oath at 11 am at the Lok Bhavan.
“A full-fledged Council of Ministers of the nationalist Government elected by the people of West Bengal will be constituted,” he said in a social media post. Governor RN Ravi will administer the oath of office to them at Lok Bhavan.
Adhikari took oath as the chief minister on May 9 after the BJP swept the assembly elections, ending the 15-year rule of the TMC. Along with Adhikari, four ministers took the oath that day. They were Agnimitra Paul, Nisith Pramanik, Ashok Kirtania and Kshudiram Tudu.
Sources said in the new list, women and backward communities will remain a priority for the BJP and North Bengal is also another priority. With North Bengal already securing key positions, Mathabhanga MLA Nisith Pramanik as a Cabinet Minister and Cooch Behar Dakshin MLA Rathindra Bose as the Assembly Speaker, sources indicate that two more MLAs from the region, Dipak Burman and Shankar Ghosh, are also likely to be included.
The expansion is also expected to significantly boost female representation. Party sources said at least two more women are likely to be inducted, along with a woman actor. Additionally, actor-turned-politician Rudranil Ghosh is also in the race.
Additionally, two journalist-turned-politicians, Swapan Dasgupta and Jagannath Chattopadhyay, may also get key portfolios in the upcoming expansion. Dasgupta, a former Rajya Sabha MP, is reportedly a strong contender for the post of Minister for Higher Education.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was sworn in as the CM for the second consecutive term on May 12 by Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union ministers, chief ministers of NDA-ruled states and other top dignitaries. Along with the chief minister, four other ministers had taken oath -- the BJP’s Ajanta Neog and Rameswar Teli, Asom Gana Parishad’s (AGP) Atul Bora and Bodoland People’s Front’s (BPF) Charan Boro.
“I am pleased to inform that the Council of Ministers of the Government of Assam will be expanded on June 5, 2026,” Sarma said in a post on X. He however did not mention the number or names of new ministers to be inducted.
Among the ministers who took office on May 12, Neog, Bora and Boro were retained from the previous ministry, while Teli, a former Union minister of state, was inducted in the state Cabinet for the first time as he returned to the Assembly. All other departments, not yet allotted, are held by the chief minister. The BJP-led NDA came to power for a third successive term in the state, bagging 102 out of the total 126 seats. The saffron party had secured 82 seats, and its allies AGP and BPF won 10 each.
TMC MP alleges mob attack
New Delhi: TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee on Sunday alleged that he suffered head injuries after being mobbed by BJP supporters in front of a police station in Hooghly district. The incident occurred when he visited the Chanditala police station to submit a memorandum protesting the arrest of TMC workers.
The incident came a day after TMC national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee was attacked by locals during his visit to Sonarpur.
Party supremo Mamata Banerjee visited the Serampore MP’s residence following the incident, and accused the BJP of “murdering democracy”.
The incident came a day after TMC national general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee was allegedly heckled by locals during his visit to Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district to meet families affected by post-poll violence.
