West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee expanded her cabinet on Wednesday with the inclusion of eight new ministers, including two who quit the Congress recently. The Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government has just completed 18 months in office and is looking to spruce up its strength in the run up to the Panchayat polls in the state.
Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury and Humayun Kabir, both of whom resigned as legislators on Tuesday, were inducted into the Trinamool Congress ministry on Wednesday. Chowdhury has been given the tourism portfolio, till now with Rachpal Singh.
Chowdhury, who was made a cabinet minister, had won the last election from Englishbazar in Malda district, while Kabir, sworn in as a minister of state, represented Rezinagar in Murshidabad district. Malda and Murshidabad are considered strong pockets for the Congress in Bengal. Malda was once the stronghold of the late Railway minister Barkat Ghani Khan Chowdhury, and the activities of the Congress there is now controlled by his family members.
The Governor of Bengal MK Narayanan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the two new cabinet ministers - Krishnendu and Rajib Banerjee - at a function at Raj Bhawan in the presence of Mamata Banerjee and several members of her cabinet. Interestingly, five ministers of state were also promoted to cabinet rank. Madan Mitra, Arup Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Subrata Saha and ManjulKrishna Thakur were promoted to cabinet rank on Wednesday.
Six new faces, mostly from rural Bengal, inducted on Wednesday as ministers of state, are Monturam Pakhira, Giasuddin Mollah, Pundarikakshya Saha, Humayun Kabir, Becharam Manna and Swapan Debnath. Becharam Manna, who emerged from the grassroots level of the farmer’s movement in Singur during the last leg of the Left Front rule, was sworn in as a minister of state.
The reshuffle was aimed at filling up six ministries which fell vacant after Cong ministers resigned following their party’s pull-out from Mamata govt.
Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury and Humayun Kabir, both of whom resigned as legislators on Tuesday, were inducted into the Trinamool Congress ministry on Wednesday. Chowdhury has been given the tourism portfolio, till now with Rachpal Singh.
Chowdhury, who was made a cabinet minister, had won the last election from Englishbazar in Malda district, while Kabir, sworn in as a minister of state, represented Rezinagar in Murshidabad district. Malda and Murshidabad are considered strong pockets for the Congress in Bengal. Malda was once the stronghold of the late Railway minister Barkat Ghani Khan Chowdhury, and the activities of the Congress there is now controlled by his family members.
The Governor of Bengal MK Narayanan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the two new cabinet ministers - Krishnendu and Rajib Banerjee - at a function at Raj Bhawan in the presence of Mamata Banerjee and several members of her cabinet. Interestingly, five ministers of state were also promoted to cabinet rank. Madan Mitra, Arup Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Subrata Saha and ManjulKrishna Thakur were promoted to cabinet rank on Wednesday.
Six new faces, mostly from rural Bengal, inducted on Wednesday as ministers of state, are Monturam Pakhira, Giasuddin Mollah, Pundarikakshya Saha, Humayun Kabir, Becharam Manna and Swapan Debnath. Becharam Manna, who emerged from the grassroots level of the farmer’s movement in Singur during the last leg of the Left Front rule, was sworn in as a minister of state.
The reshuffle was aimed at filling up six ministries which fell vacant after Cong ministers resigned following their party’s pull-out from Mamata govt.