Assam Cabinet Expansion: 12 Ministers Sworn In, Council Strength Rises To 17

Guwahati: The Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government on Friday carried out a major expansion of its Council of Ministers, with 12 legislators taking oath as Cabinet ministers at a ceremony held at the Jyoti-Bishnu International Auditorium in Guwahati.

Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, senior political leaders, legislators and government officials.

The newly inducted ministers are Ashwini Ray Sarkar, Ashok Singhal, Bimal Borah, Biswajit Daimary, Jayanta Malla Baruah, Kaushik Rai, Keshab Mahanta, Krishnendu Paul, Nilima Devi, Pijush Hazarika, Dr Ranoj Pegu and Sushanta Borgohain.

The swearing-in ceremony reflected Assam's linguistic diversity, with ministers taking the oath in different languages. While several ministers took oath in Assamese, Bimal Borah chose Sanskrit, Kaushik Rai took oath in Hindi and Krishnendu Paul took oath in Bengali.

With the induction of the 12 ministers, the strength of the Council of Ministers has increased to 17, including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The expansion comes less than a month after the formation of the new BJP-led government in Assam following the Assembly elections.

The newly expanded ministry brings together leaders from different regions and communities of the state, reflecting the ruling alliance's attempt to ensure broader representation in governance.

Before Friday's expansion, the ministry consisted of Chief Minister Sarma and four Cabinet ministers. They included BJP leaders Ajanta Neog and Rameswar Teli, Asom Gana Parishad president Atul Bora and Bodoland People's Front leader Charan Boro.

The four ministers had taken oath on May 12 after their names were announced by the Chief Minister a day earlier. That swearing-in ceremony, held at the Veterinary College Ground in Khanapara, was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, several Union ministers, and chief ministers and deputy chief ministers from NDA-ruled states.

Friday's ceremony marked the completion of the first major phase of government formation after the Assembly elections, taking the Council of Ministers to its current strength of 17 members.

Portfolios of the newly inducted ministers are expected to be allocated by the Chief Minister in the coming days.