12 new Ministers inducted into Assam cabinet

The Assam Council of Ministers was expanded with the induction of 12 new Cabinet Ministers at a swearing-in ceremony held at the Jyoti-Bishnu Antarjatik Kala Mandir in Guwahati on Friday. Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other dignitaries. The inductees are Ashwini Ray Sarkar, Ashok Singhal, Bimal Borah, Biswajit Daimary, Jayant Mallabaruah, Kaushik Rai, Keshab Mahanta, Krishnendu Paul, Nilima Devi, Pijush Hazarika, Dr. Ranoj Pegu and Susanta Borgohain.
The expanded ministry includes four first-time ministers- Ashwini Ray Sarkar, Biswajit Daimary, Nilima Devi and Susanta Borgohain. Nilima Devi is the only woman among the newly inducted ministers. Keshab Mahanta represents the Asom Gana Parishad, while the remaining ministers belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
With the latest expansion, the strength of the Assam Council of Ministers has risen to 17. Under the Constitution, Assam can have a maximum of 19 ministers, including the Chief Minister. The Cabinet expansion comes less than a month after the BJP-led NDA government returned to power with a decisive mandate in the Assembly elections. With the structure of the new cabinet now largely finalized, the allocation of portfolios is expected to be announced very soon.