KOLKATA: In its first cabinet meeting on Monday, BJP govt in Bengal distributed portfolios to five ministers who took oath with CM Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday.Dilip Ghosh will hold three portfolios — panchayat and rural development, animal resource development and agricultural marketing — and Agnimitra Paul will handle municipal affairs and urban development with women and child development for now, with the first BJP govt in Bengal looking to consolidate its hold over the state ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. The polls for Bengal’s 125 municipalities and seven corporations, if held on time, are scheduled for Dec-Jan and the panchayat polls are scheduled for 2028.It is likely that Ghosh will retain the panchayat department and relinquish the rest later. Likewise, Paul is expected to retain only women & child development.
Until the cabinet expansion is completed, CM Suvendu Adhikari will oversee the non-allocated departments, which include the crucial home (police), finance, industry & commerce, education and health. The cabinet expansion, however, is unlikely to be completed this week even as the CM said that the next cabinet meeting would be held on Monday.Ashok Kirtania will be Bengal’s food & supplies minister and will also oversee the department of co-operation. Among the other appointees, Kshudiram Tudu was given tribal development and backward classes welfare, along with minority affairs and Madrassa education. Nisith Pramanik was appointed the north Bengal development minister. He was also tasked with the youth services and sports department.The government note said, “The rest of the departments will be looked after by Shri Suvendu Adhikari, Hon’ble Chief Minister”.According to a govt source, the cabinet portfolio allocations indicate that the departments to which appointments have been made will take some important decisions ahead of the next cabinet meeting.Ghosh said after the allocation: “Panchayat department is essential for rural development. All welfare schemes for the poor fall under its purview. We held discussions regarding this with the officers present at the meeting.”Paul said, “There are 121 municipalities, 7 corporations, and 3 industrial township authorities. There is massive scope for work, not only in Kolkata, but to develop urban areas all over Bengal. Along with that, we will look into housing schemes, Swachh Bharat toilets and water supply for urban areas under the Jal Jeevan Mission.”“From today in Chingrighata, Metro work that had come to a standstill has been commissioned,” she added. TOI had reported that after the Supreme Court nudge, work for the now-stalled Chingrighata stretch will begin on May 15. Paul also said there would be a probe into the Jan 26 Anandapur blaze, which killed 21 people.While Adhikari is likely to leave for Guwahati on Tuesday for the oath-taking ceremony of Assam CM-designate Himanta Biswa Sarma, the assembly will convene for the first time to nominate the protem speaker. On Wednesday and Thursday, all new MLAs — including CM Adhikari — are likely to take their oaths.
