Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's scheduled meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been deferred, as Shah is on a two-day visit to Gujarat starting Thursday. Sources indicated that Adhikari was originally set to arrive in New Delhi on Thursday night to discuss the expansion of the Bengal cabinet with Shah. Despite the delay in discussions, the full expansion might still take place in the first week of June, sources said.
Bengal Cabinet Expansion Under Consideration
The full expansion of the Bengal cabinet is being evaluated by the BJP's central leadership. A Bengal BJP leader commented, "We expected the full expansion of the Bengal cabinet to happen simultaneously with Assam. That did not occur. It seems the process is being delayed due to several considerations by the party's top leadership."
Possible Union Cabinet Reshuffle
Bengal BJP leaders are also anticipating a Union cabinet reshuffle by the end of June, which might include some BJP MPs from Bengal.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Adhikari held a lengthy meeting with Governor R.N. Ravi at Lok Bhavan. The meeting, lasting nearly one hour and 40 minutes, is seen as politically significant as the state government aims to have a full-fledged council of ministers before the assembly budget session. Although no official statement has been released about the discussion, sources said the Chief Minister and the Governor discussed the swearing-in of new ministers, with Ravi expected to administer the oath at Lok Bhavan.
State BJP sources revealed that the initial list of portfolios might include 30 members.
