West Bengal Cabinet Expansion: Suvendu’s Power Play!
West Bengal Cabinet Expansion Today: Governor to Swear In 35 Ministers; Total Number to Reach 41
The first cabinet expansion of the BJP-led West Bengal government is taking place today. In the swearing-in ceremony at Lok Bhavan today, 35 new ministers will be added. Governor RN Ravi will administer the oath of office to the ministers at Lok Bhavan from 11:00 am.
With this expansion, the total number of ministers will increase to 41. Earlier on 9 May, Suvendu Adhikari took the oath as Chief Minister. Along with him, Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Nisith Pramanik, Ashok Kirtania, and Kshudirand Tudu also took the oath as ministers.
So far, the six-member cabinet has given representation to the Brahmin, OBC, Tribal, Matua, and Rajbanshi communities. This combination is likely to continue.
The maximum Council Limit is 44, but the Suvendu Cabinet will have 41 Ministers
According to the 91st amendment of the Constitution, the number of MLAs in the state cabinet is limited to 15% of the total assembly seats. West Bengal has 294 MLAs, so there can be a maximum of 44 ministers in the cabinet. With the 35 ministers taking the oath today, there will be 41 ministers in the cabinet. However, based on the set limit, 3 more ministers can be appointed. Reports suggest these 3 posts will remain empty for now.
Roopa Ganguly and Actor Rudranil May Also Become Ministers
The names of the ministers to be included in the council have not been officially revealed. However, it is being said that actor-turned-politician Rudranil, Swapan Dasgupta, Tapas Roy, Shankar Ghosh, Saradwat Mukherjee, Indranil Khan, Roopa Ganguly, Arjun Singh, Koustav Bagchi, Ratna Debnath, Utpal Maharaj, Rajesh Kumar, and Dipanjan Chakraborty could be included.
CM Suvendu Kept Home and Finance Ministries with Himself
Earlier on 11 May, CM Suvendu distributed portfolios to his ministers. In this, Nisith Pramanik was given the Ministry of North Bengal Development, Sports, and Youth Welfare. Dilip Ghosh was given the responsibility of Rural Development, Animal Resources Development, and Agricultural Marketing. Agnimitra Paul was given the departments of Women and Child Development, Social Welfare, and Urban Local Bodies.
Ashok Kirtania was given the Ministry of Food and Supplies and Co-operation. Kshudirand Tudu was given the responsibility of Tribal Development, Backwards Classes Welfare, Minority Affairs, and Madrasah Education. CM Adhikari will handle the Home Ministry and all other remaining departments.