Bengal Cabinet expansion on June 1; 35 ministers to take oath
Governor RN Ravi is scheduled to administer the oath at 11 a.m. at the Lok Bhavan.
Thirty-five West Bengal MLAs took oath as ministers as part of the mega expansion of the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government on Monday, taking the total strength of the Council of Ministers to 41.
The newly inducted ministers include 13 Cabinet Ministers, three Ministers of State (Independent Charge) and 19 Ministers of State, reflecting a careful blend of experience, youth, caste representation and professional expertise with an average age of 57 years.
Mathabhanga MLA Nishith Pramanick is the youngest member of the Cabinet.
Fifteen of the 18 ministers, or 83 per cent, hold graduate or higher degrees, while 12 ministers possess post-graduate or higher qualifications. Three newly inducted ministers hold PhD degrees.
The expanded Bengal Cabinet also reflects broad social representation, with ministers drawn from 13 distinct caste groups, including eight of West Bengal’s ten largest caste communities.
Among the three Scheduled Caste ministers, the government has included representatives from both the Rajbongshi and Namasudra communities, two key SC groups in North and South Bengal respectively.
Nishith Pramanick and Deepak Barman represent the Rajbongshi community, while Ashok Kirtania represents the Namasudra community.
Among the two Scheduled Tribe ministers, Manoj Kumar Oraon represents the Oraon community and the tea garden belt of North Bengal, while Kshudiram Tudu represents the Santhal community and the Junglemahal region.
The Cabinet also provides representation across all five organisational zones of the party. Four ministers each hail from Uttar Banga and Nabadwip zones, five are from Rarh Banga, three from Kolkata and two from the HHM region.
The Cabinet includes two medical professionals — Dr Ajay Kumar Poddar and Dr Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay — as well as two academicians, Dr Kalyan Chakraborty and Dr Shankar Ghosh.
Former journalist and public intellectual Swapan Dasgupta and Jagannath Chattopadhyay bring media and intellectual experience to the government.
The Cabinet also includes five former teachers: Nishith Pramanick, Manoj Kumar Oraon, Deepak Barman, Arup Kumar Das and Kshudiram Tudu.
The saffron party has also rewarded leaders with extensive organisational experience as several ministers have held significant responsibilities within the BJP.
Former state president Dilip Ghosh is part of the Cabinet, alongside current state vice presidents Deepak Barman, Agnimitra Paul and Jagannath Chattopadhyay.
Kshudiram Tudu currently serves as National Secretary of the BJP ST Morcha.
The Cabinet also features leaders with substantial legislative and administrative experience, including former Union Minister Nishith Pramanick and former state Cabinet minister Tapas Roy.
Dilip Ghosh, Arjun Singh and Swapan Dasgupta are former Members of Parliament.
Ten ministers are multiple-term MLAs, led by Tapas Roy, who has been elected to the Assembly six times, and Arjun Singh, a five-term legislator.
Other experienced legislators include Manoj Kumar Oraon, Deepak Barman, Dr Shankar Ghosh, Gauri Sankar Ghosh, Ashok Kirtania, Arup Kumar Das, Agnimitra Paul and Dr Ajay Kumar Poddar.
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