New Delhi: Suvendu Adhikari on Friday inducted five ministers into his cabinet after taking oath as the first Chief Minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal.
The ministers sworn into the new cabinet are Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Nisith Pramanik, Kshudiram Tudu, and Ashok Kirtania. The oath taking ceremony was held in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with several senior BJP leaders and dignitaries.
Dilip Ghosh, regarded as one of the BJP’s key organisational figures in Bengal, played a major role in strengthening the party’s grassroots network after 2014. A former state BJP president, he was previously elected to the Lok Sabha from Medinipur.
Agnimitra Paul, the only woman minister in the current cabinet, entered politics in 2019 after establishing herself as a fashion designer. She later became a prominent face of the BJP in Bengal and currently serves as one of the party’s senior leaders in the state. She retained her influence in Asansol Dakshin and continues to be one of the BJP’s leading women voices in Bengal politics.
Ashok Kirtania, MLA from Bangaon Uttar, represents the politically significant Matua community belt in North 24 Parganas. Kshudiram Tudu, a tribal leader from Ranibandh in Bankura district, has been instrumental in strengthening the BJP’s outreach in tribal dominated regions of Jungle Mahal.
Nisith Pramanik, considered one of the BJP’s strongest young leaders from North Bengal, previously served as Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and Youth Affairs and Sports. Known for his influence among youth and the Rajbanshi community, he remains a prominent face in North Bengal politics.
With the West Bengal cabinet permitted to have a maximum strength of 44 ministers, the new government still has room for 39 more inductions in the coming weeks.
