35 MLAs take oath as ministers as West Bengal cabinet undergoes expansion
As many as 13 MLAs took oath as Cabinet ministers, 3 as Ministers of State (Independent Charge) and 19 as Ministers of State
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday expanded his cabinet with 35 MLAs taking oath as ministers at a ceremony in the Lok Bhavan in Kolkata.
The Cabinet expansion marked the formal completion of the state government's ministerial team, bringing together senior BJP leaders, first-time ministers, and regional representatives from across West Bengal.
As many as 13 MLAs took oath as Cabinet ministers, three as Ministers of State (Independent Charge) and 19 as Ministers of State. Governor RN Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers.
Those sworn in as cabinet ministers are Deepak Barman, Tapas Roy, Shankar Ghosh, Manoj Kumar Oraon, Arjun Singh, Gouri Shankar Ghosh, Swapan Dasgupta, Jagnnatha Chattopadhyay, Kalyan Chakraborty, Ajay Poddar, Saradwat Mukherjee, Dudh Kumar Mondal and Anup Kumar Das.
Those sworn in as Minister of State (Independent Charge) are Indranil Khan, Malati Rava Roy and Rajesh Mahato.
The Ministers of State inducted into the Adhikari government are Joel Murmu, Hare Krishna Bera, Anandamay Barman, Ashok Dinda, Nadiar Chand Bauri, Vishal Lama, Shantanu Pramanik, Moumita Biswas Mishra, Umesh Ray, Purnima Chakravarty, Kaushik Chowdhury, Bhaskar Bhattacharya, Dibakar Gharami, Amiya Kisku, Kalita Majhi, Gargi Das Ghosh, Biraj Biswas, Dipankar Jana and Sumana Sarkar.
Describing the occasion as a significant moment for the state, BJP MLA and now a minister in the West Bengal government, Swapan Dasgupta, said, “It is a momentous day with the full ministry being sworn in. There is an enormous challenge ahead, with very high expectations from the government.”
After historic win, the BJP for the first time formed its government in the state on May 9, with Suvendu Abhikari becoming the chief minister. Along with Adhikari, five cabinet ministers -- Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Nisith Pramanik and Kshudiram Tudu took oath.
