Suvendu Keeps 42 WB Depts With Him

Kolkata: Creating a record, new West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari kept 42 portfolios among the 54 state departments with him and allocated the remaining 12 to his five cabinet colleagues on Monday. His move makes the first BJP government to have the smallest cabinet in the history of the state for the time being.

In yet another surprise move, Mr Adhikari made senior IAS officer Manoj Agarwal, who supervised the special intensive revision (SIR) of the voters' list and the recent Assembly Election as the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal and was accused by the erstwhile ruling party– Trinamul Congress– of bias, as the state chief secretary in place of Dushyant Nariala.

Mr Adhikari is also likely to vacate Nandigram seat and finance, one of the portfolios under his belt now, for economist Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Economic Advisory Council, to allow him to contest and win there in a bypoll so that he can be inducted as finance minister in the state cabinet. Mr Sanyal was not only vocal before the polls for a political and economic change in the state but also attended the swearing-in ceremony of Mr Adhikari and five other ministers at the Brigade Parade Ground on May 9.

According to a press release on the first council of ministers issued by the state secretariat Nabanna, Dilip Ghosh has been made minister of three departments— panchayat and rural development, animal resource department and agriculture marketing— while Agnimitra Paul got two portfolios: women and child development and social welfare.

Two more departments, food and supplies and cooperation, went to Ashok Kirtania with three others— tribal development, backward classes welfare and minority affairs and madrasah education— were allocated to Khudiram Tudu. Nishit Pramanik has become ministers of two departments— North Bengal Development and Youth Services & Sports.

“The rest of the departments will be looked after by Shri Suvendu Adhikari, Hon'ble Chief Minister,” the press note said. Meanwhile, Mr Agarwal got his new assignment days after retired IAS officer Subrata Gupta, who was special roll observer in the SIR and also looked after the polls alongwith him, was made an advisor to CM in a prize posting.

His upcoming stint was in the speculation following BJP's unprecedented victory here. Mr Nariala, who was appointed state chief secretary by the Election Commission in a major reshuffle during the polls, has been posted as Principal Resident Commissioner in New Delhi in rank of Additional Chief Secretary (Apex Scale), an order issued by Nabanna said.

Earlier in the day, a suspense prevailed over the cabinet expansion and oath taking of more ministers at Lok Bhavan after an intense race among many strong contenders unfolded in the party for various berths. However state party president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya said that no such ceremony was scheduled for the day. “What we are going to have is not a BJP government but a West Bengal state government,” he said.