After inducting 35 ministers, CM Suvendu Adhikari to distribute portfolios today
Kolkata, June 3
The portfolio distribution of the new West Bengal cabinet under the leadership of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will be announced later on Wednesday after a meeting of the expanded cabinet.
The meeting of the new cabinet will take place at the state secretariat of Nabanna, where the responsibilities of the ministers will be distributed. Some crucial administrative decisions are also likely to be taken at the meeting.
On June 1, a total of 35 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators took oath as ministers at a colourful programme at Lok Bhavan in Kolkata. Of the 35 new ministers, 13 were cabinet ministers, three were ministers of state with independent charge, and 19 were ministers of state.
With the swearing-in of the 35 new ministers, the total strength of the West Bengal cabinet is now 41. Six other cabinet ministers, including the Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, took oaths earlier on May 9.
With the induction of the 13 new cabinet ministers, the total number of cabinet-rank members in the new West Bengal government, including CM Adhikari, increases to 19.
There is room for the induction of three more ministers. As per the constitutional provisions, the ministry strength has a ceiling of 15 per cent of the total seats in the state Assembly concerned. So, with a 294-seat West Bengal Assembly, the state cabinet can have a total of 44 members.
With the portfolio distribution of the ministers to be announced on Wednesday, the question now is who would be allotted the crucial departments of finance and industry & commerce. CM Adhikari, immediately after taking oath on May 9, had clearly said that the two important focus areas of the new government led by him will be revitalisation of the cash-strapped state exchequer burdened with huge accumulated debt, and the necessary policy framing to attract big-ticket investment in the state.
Insiders from the state unit of the BJP said that there is a possibility that CM Adhikari will retain the finance portfolio with him for the time being till an acclaimed Delhi-based Bengali economist is included in the cabinet as the new finance minister after getting him elected in the by-elections from Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district.
In the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly polls, Adhikari contested and got elected from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur Assembly constituencies in South Kolkata. In Bhabanipur, he defeated the previous Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, by a margin of over 15,000 votes. Later, CM Adhikari retained his membership in the state Assembly as an MLA from Bhabanipur, thus making a by-election inevitable in Nandigram.
— IANS
Reader Comments
35 ministers in one go! That's quite a lot. Hope this doesn't mean more bureaucracy and less delivery for our state. Common man just wants better roads, schools and hospitals - not big cabinets.
Interesting to see how the portfolio distribution shapes up. Finance and industry are crucial - if the CM keeps them, that signals he wants tight control. But will that slow down decision-making? India needs swift action for investment.
First time in years Bengal has a clear majority government. Let's see if this cabinet can actually deliver faster growth. The real test is attracting investment to create jobs for our youth.
Mathematically, they still have room for 3 more ministers. Hope they use those slots wisely - maybe bring in some technocrats rather than just political appointments. Bengal needs fresh ideas, not just familiar faces.
The Nandigram by-election will be interesting. That's Suvendu's home turf. If they want to bring in that Delhi economist from there, they better make sure he connects with local farmers too. 😊
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.