West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari Allocates Portfolios to 5 Ministers; Agnimitra Paul Gets Women and Child Welfare

According to the allocation announced, senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh has been assigned the Rural Development, Panchayats and Animal Resources Department, while Ashok Kirtania will handle the Food Department. Khudiram Tudu has been given charge of the Backward Class Welfare Department, and Agnimitra Paul will oversee the Women and Child Welfare Department. Nisith Pramanik has been entrusted with North Bengal Development along with the Sports and Youth Welfare portfolios.

The distribution of portfolios comes shortly after the formation of the new government in West Bengal, with the Chief Minister moving quickly to establish an administrative structure and assign responsibilities across key departments.

Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh is a former state BJP president who began his political journey as a full-time RSS pracharak and played a key role in building the party's grassroots organisation in West Bengal after 2014. He also served as a Member of Parliament from Medinipur and has been one of the party's prominent faces during its organisational expansion in the state.

In the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election results, Ghosh won from one seat, the Kharagpur Sadar constituency. He retained this seat by defeating Trinamool Congress candidate Pradip Sarkar with a margin of 30,506 votes, polling 89,885 votes in total.

Agnimitra Paul, a fashion designer-turned-politician, previously led the BJP Mahila Morcha in West Bengal and was recently appointed vice-president of the party's state unit. She is currently the only woman minister in the state Cabinet. In the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections, she retained the Asansol Dakshin Assembly constituency seat with a commanding margin of 40,839 votes against the Trinamool Congress candidate Tapas Banerjee.

Ashok Kirtania is a BJP MLA from Bangaon Uttar in North 24 Parganas and belongs to the influential Matua community, which has been a key support base for the party in recent elections. In the 2026 Assembly elections, he won from this constituency by defeating TMC's Biswajit Das by a decisive margin of 40,670 votes.

Nisith Pramanik was earlier associated with the Trinamool Congress before joining the BJP in 2019. He also served as a Union Minister of State in the PM Modi government, becoming one of the youngest ministers at the time. In the 2026 elections, Pramanik won the Mathabhanga (SC) seat by a margin of 57,090 votes, defeating his nearest rival, Sablu Barman of TMC.

Khudiram Tudu, a tribal leader from Bankura's Ranibandh constituency in the Jungle Mahal region, represents the BJP's growing support in tribal-dominated areas. Tudu won the Ranibandh (ST) seat in the 2026 elections, securing 131,145 votes, defeating TMC candidate Tanushree Hansda by a margin of 52,269 votes. The portfolio distribution comes in the backdrop of a major political shift in West Bengal, where Adhikari was sworn in as the ninth Chief Minister on Saturday by Governor RN Ravi at a ceremony in Kolkata. The event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union Ministers.

The 2026 Assembly elections delivered a decisive mandate for the BJP, which secured 206 seats in the 294-member House, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was reduced to 80 seats. The results marked a significant realignment in the state's political landscape.

At his first Cabinet meeting, Adhikari announced the rollout of major central schemes, including Ayushman Bharat, and other welfare programmes such as PM Jan Arogya Yojana, PM Kisan-related insurance, PM SHRI, Vishwakarma Scheme, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Ujjwala Yojana.

The government also announced reforms in governance and administration, including alignment with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, increased government job age limits by five years, participation of IAS officers in central training programmes, and stricter implementation of census directives.

The Chief Minister reiterated a focus on "good governance and transparency," while assuring that all welfare schemes will continue but with tighter verification to prevent misuse. He also emphasised border security measures and faster land allocation to the BSF.

The Cabinet expressed gratitude to voters for a peaceful election and reiterated its commitment to development, security and implementation of central policies across the state.

- ANI