Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday oversaw a major expansion of his cabinet, swearing in 35 BJP MLAs as ministers in what is one of the largest reshuffles since the party formed its first government in the state earlier this month.
The induction ceremony was held at Lok Bhavan in Kolkata, where Governor R.N. Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new appointees, as reported by Financial Express.
With Monday’s round of inductions, the size of the West Bengal cabinet has increased to 41 members, including the chief minister. That brings the ministry close to the constitutional limit of 44 ministers for a state Assembly of 294 members, as set out under Article 164(1A) of the Constitution.
Key Leaders Inducted
The expansion brought several senior BJP figures into the state government, among them Arjun Singh, Tapas Roy, Sharadwat Mukherjee, Jagannath Chattopadhyay and Shankar Ghosh. Others sworn in as cabinet ministers included Swapan Dasgupta, Dudh Kumar Mondal, Deepak Barman, Manoj Oraon and Gouri Shankar Ghosh.
In addition to cabinet posts, MLAs Rajesh Mahata, Indranil Khan and Malati Rava Roy were appointed Ministers of State with independent charge.
BJP Expands Footprint
The cabinet build-out follows the BJP’s decisive win in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, which ended nearly 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule. Since taking office on May 9, Adhikari has announced a series of policy and welfare initiatives, including the Annapurna Yojana, low-cost meal programmes, recruitment reforms and measures targeting illegal immigration.
Officials and party leaders view the expansion as a crucial move to strengthen the BJP’s administrative apparatus as it prepares to implement its governance agenda across the state.
Big Winners
The new ministry includes legislators who won large mandates. Dipak Barman of Falakata defeated the TMC’s Subhash Chandra Roy by nearly 46,000 votes, while Shankar Ghosh from Siliguri registered a victory margin exceeding 73,000 votes. Manoj Kumar Oraon from Kumargram and Swapan Dasgupta from Rashbehari also joined the cabinet after significant electoral wins.
Other inductees named were Kalyan Chakraborti, Arup Kumar Das, Koushik Chowdhury, Gargi Das Ghosh, Bhaskar Bhattacharya, Ashoke Dinda, Anandamoy Barman, Hare Krishna Bera, Shantanu Pramanik and Umesh Rai.
Focus On Regional & Social Balance
The composition of the expanded ministry reflects the BJP’s effort to achieve regional, caste and community representation across the state, with MLAs from north Bengal, tribal-majority constituencies, urban Kolkata and rural districts included in the line-up.
Women legislators Purnima Chakraborty, Moumita Biswas Misra, Sumana Sarkar and Gargi Das Ghosh were among those appointed to ministerial roles.
BJP Calls It ‘New Beginning’
Ahead of the expansion, West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya said the Adhikari government was committed to fulfilling its electoral promises. Taking to X Bhattacharya wrote, “1 June, 2026 – A new beginning of hope in the lives of the state’s people.”
Full List
Dipak Barman, Tapas Roy, Shankar Ghosh, Manoj Kumar Oraon, Gouri Shankar Ghosh, Swapan Dasgupta, Kalyan Chakraborti, Arup Kumar Das, Dudh Kumar Mondal, Sharadwat Mukherjee, Jagannath Chattopadhyay,
Arjun Singh, Malati Rava Roy, Rajesh Mahata, Indranil Khan, Koushik Chowdhury, Gargi Das Ghosh, Bhaskar Bhattacharya, Dibakar Gharami, Sumana Sarkar, Joyel Murmu, Ashoke Dinda, Anandamoy Barman, Hare Krishna Bera, Shantanu Pramanik, Umesh Rai, Purnima Chakraborty, Moumita Biswas Misra, Kalita Maji, Bishal Lama, Ajay Kumar Poddar, Biraj Biswas, Dipankar Jana, Amiya Kisku and Nadiar Chand Bouri.
