The Assam council of ministers, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, is set to be expanded on Friday with the induction of 12 new ministers, four of whom are debutants. This expansion comes three weeks after the formation of the new government.
Composition of New Inductees
Among the new inductees, 11 belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while one represents the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a key ally in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition. The expansion will increase the cabinet's strength to 17, leaving two slots vacant out of the maximum permissible 19, including the Chief Minister.
Background
On May 12, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, along with four legislators — Ajanta Neog and Rameswar Teli of BJP, Atul Borah of AGP, and Charan Boro of Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) — took oath in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking the formation of the new government.
Debutant Inductees
According to the list announced by Chief Minister Sarma on Thursday, the debutant inductees include four BJP members:
- Ashwini Ray Sarkar, a two-time MLA
- Biswajit Daimary, a former Rajya Sabha member, ex-Speaker, and three-time MLA
- Nilima Devi, a first-time MLA
- Susanta Borgohain, a three-time MLA
Other Ministers in the Expanded Cabinet
Other names in the expanded cabinet are Ashok Singhal, Bimal Borah, Jayant Mallabaruah, Kaushik Rai, Keshab Mahanta (AGP), Krishnendu Paul, Pijush Hazarika, and Ranoj Pegu. All of them were ministers in the previous cabinet.
Strategic Regional and Community Representation
The expanded cabinet is a carefully calibrated mix of region, community, and identity representation, while underlining the BJP’s dominance. Out of 17 ministers, 14 are from BJP, two from AGP, and one from BPF, ensuring coalition balance and establishing BJP’s numerical control. The NDA won 102 of the 126 seats in the elections, comprising BJP’s 82, and AGP and BPF’s 10 each.
Regional Representation
- Upper Assam: Bimal Borah (BJP), Susanta Borgohain (BJP), Rameswar Teli (BJP), Ajanta Neog (BJP), and Atul Borah (AGP)
- Lower Assam: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma (BJP), Jayant Mallabaruah (BJP), and Ashwini Ray Sarkar (BJP). Sarkar is significant as a Hindu face from the Muslim-majority Dhubri district.
- North Bank: Ashok Singhal (BJP), Nilima Devi (BJP), and Ranoj Pegu (BJP)
- Barak Valley: Kaushik Rai (BJP) and Krishnendu Paul (BJP)
- Central Assam: Pijush Hazarika (BJP) and Keshab Mahanta (AGP)
Community Representation
Community representation is equally layered. The tea community finds its voice in Rameswar Teli, while women ministers Ajanta Neog and Nilima Devi add gender balance. Tribal groups are represented by Ranoj Pegu (Mising), BPF’s Charana Boro, and BJP’s Biswajit Daimary (both representing the Bodo community). Susanta Borgohain is the lone Ahom representative. Linguistic minority representation is visible in two Bengali legislators from Dhubri and the Barak Valley: Ashwini Ray Sarkar and Krishnendu Paul.
