Kolkata: Former journalist and Rajya Sabha member Swapan Dasgupta will be the finance minister of the first BJP government in West Bengal.
The allocation of portfolios in the newly constituted cabinet was formally announced on Wednesday, with chief minister Suvendu Adhikari retaining several of the state’s most influential departments while entrusting senior BJP leaders and first-time ministers with key responsibilities.
Another former journalist Jagannath Chattopadhyay will head the Higher Education and Technical Education, Training and Skill Development Department.
The notification issued by the Home and Hill Affairs Department said that chief minister Suvendu Adhikari will remain Minister-in-Charge of the Home and Hill Affairs, Land and Land Reforms and Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation, Power, Information and Cultural Affairs departments, besides overseeing Personnel and Administrative Reforms and all departments not specifically allotted to other ministers.
Another top leader of the party, Dilip Ghosh, will be in charge of Panchayats and Rural Development, and Agricultural Marketing, while the crucial Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department will be headed by Agnimitra Paul.
Senior leader Tapas Roy, who moved to the BJP from the Trinamool Congress in 2024, has been entrusted with the Industry, Commerce and Enterprises Department, along with the Public Enterprises and Industrial Reconstruction Department and the Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy Sources Department.
Well-known oncologist Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee will be in charge of the Health and Family Welfare Department, while Dipak Barman has been assigned the School Education Department along with Housing and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles.
Shankar Ghosh has been allotted the Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism departments , while another leader from north Bengal, Manoj Kumar Oraon, will oversee the Forests and Environment Department.
The allocation ref
lects an attempt to strike a balance between experienced leaders and new faces, while ensuring representation across regions and communities as the government prepares to roll out its administrative agenda.
The other cabinet ministers are:
Nisith Pramanik: North Bengal Development and Water Resources Investigation and Development
Ashok Kirtania: Food and Supplies, and Co-operation
Kshudiram Tudu: Tribal Development, Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education
Arjun Singh: Labour and Transport
Gouri Sankar Ghosh: Backward Classes Welfare and Mass Education Extension and Library Services
Dr. Kalyan Chakraborti: Information Technology and Electronics, Science and Technology, Biotechnology, Food Processing Industries and Horticulture
Arup Kumar Das: Irrigation and Waterways
Ajay Kumar Poddar: Public Health Engineering and Public Works
Dudh Kumar Mondal: Agriculture
The notification also announced three Ministers of State (Independent Charge):
Malati Rava Roy: Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, Self Help Group and Self Employment, and Programme Monitoring
Rajesh Mahata: Animal Resources Development and Fisheries
Dr. Indranil Khan: Youth Services and Sports, and Consumer Affairs
In addition, 19 Ministers of State have been assigned responsibilities across departments. These include:
Joel Murmu: Tribal Development; Irrigation and Waterways
Dr Hare Krishna Bera: Higher Education and Technical Education, Training and Skill Development
Anandamay Barman: Transport and Finance
Ashoke Dinda: Agricultural Marketing; MSME and Textiles
Nadiar Chand Bouri: Public Works; Backward Classes Welfare
Bishal Lama: Home and Hill Affairs; Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education
Santanu Pramanik: Food and Supplies; Panchayats and Rural Development
Moumita Biswas Misra: Industry, Commerce and Enterprises; Science and Technology and Biotechnology
Umesh Rai: Parliamentary Affairs; Urban Development and Municipal Affairs
Purnima Chakraborty: Information and Cultural Affairs; Tourism
Koushik Chowdhury: School Education; Fire and Emergency Services
Bhaskar Bhattacharya: Public Health Engineering; Labour
Dibakar Gharami: Co-operation; Forests and Environment
Amiya Kisku: Food Processing Industries and Horticulture; Agriculture
Kalita Majhi: Housing
Gargi Das Ghosh: Power; Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy Sources
Advocate Biraj Biswas: Law; Judicial Department; North Bengal Development
Dipankar Jana: Land and Land Reforms and Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation; Sundarban Affairs
Sumana Sarkar: Health and Family Welfare