Guwahati, Jun 5 (PTI) BJP MLAs Ranoj Pegu, Ashok Singhal, Biswajit Daimary and AGP’s Keshab Mahanta were among the 12 legislators who took oath as ministers on Friday as Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expanded his cabinet, taking the strength of the council of ministers to 17.
Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to the MLAs at a function at the Jyoti-Bishnu Antarjatik Kala Mandir here.
The chief minister, Union ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Pabitra Margherita, Assam Assembly Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass, BJP state president Dilip Saikia and several NDA MLAs were present at the event.
“It’s a balanced team which represents the aspirations of all sections of people and their experience and wisdom will further strengthen our resolve of building a #ViksitAssam,” the CM said about the new ministers in a post on X.
In another post, Sarma said, ”TeamAssam has grown today and is ready to serve the people with renewed zeal”.
Congratulating all those who have taken the oath, the CM said their experience and wisdom will add immense value to the Council of Ministers and chart the path to fast-paced growth and prosperity.
Among the new faces in the cabinet are BJP’s Ashwini Ray Sarkar, Nilima Devi and Sushanta Borgohain.
Ray Sarkar, representing Golakganj in Dhubri district, became an MLA for a second time this year after 2016.
Nilima Devi, the president of the BJP’s Mahila Morcha, has been elected to the assembly for the first time and represents the Mangaldoi constituency.
Borgohain, a third-time MLA, had first represented the Congress from 2011-16 and later joined the saffron party. He had won on a BJP ticket in 2021.
He represents Demow constituency in Upper Assam.
AGP’s Mahanta, who was in both Himanta Biswa Sarma’s previous cabinet as well as in the Sarbananda Sonowal-led first BJP government in the state, was included in the new council of ministers.
BJP MLAs Bimal Borah, Jayant Mallabaruah, Kaushik Rai, Krishnendu Paul and Pijush Hazarika, who took the oath, had also served as ministers in the previous Himanta Biswa Sarma government.
Pegu, a former Chief Executive Member of the Mising Autonomous Council, represents the Dhemaji constituency and has been a minister since 2021.
Daimary, the speaker in the last assembly and a former Rajya Sabha member, has been elected from Tamulpur constituency.
Singhal, a veteran BJP leader, has been a minister since 2021 and represents the Dhekiajuli constituency.
Borah has been representing the Tingkhong assembly constituency in Upper Assam and has been a minister since 2021.
Hazarika has been representing the Jagiroad constituency since 2011 and has been a minister since 2016.
Mallabaruah has won from Nalbari constituency from 2011 to 2016 and again from 2021, holding ministerial berth in Sarma’s cabinets.
Rai and Paul represent the Barak Valley constituencies of Lakhipur and Patharkandi, both of whom were inducted into Sarma’s cabinet in 2024.
Rai took the oath in Hindi and all others in the Assamese language.
The strength of the Assam cabinet will now be 17, including the CM, with four other ministers sworn in on May 12.
The optimal strength of the state cabinet is 19 in the 126-member Assam assembly.
The ministers sworn in earlier are AGP’s Atul Bora, BPF’s Charan Boro and BJP’s Ajanta Neog and Rameshwar Teli.
The new cabinet will have 13 BJP ministers, two from the AGP and one from the BPF.
Neog and Nilima Devi are the two women ministers in the cabinet, and the number remains the same as in the previous cabinet.
The expanded ministry represents several ethnic communities and geographical regions.
There are two representatives, Kaushik Rai and Krishnendu Paul, from the Barak Valley, while BPF’s Boro and BJP’s Daimary belong to the Bodo community.
Besides, Pegu is from the Mising tribe, Ray Sarkar from the Koch Rajbongshi and Borgohain from the Ahom community.
Borgohain, along with Borah, is from upper Assam, Singhal from the northern part of the state, Pijush Hazarika from central Assam and Mallabaruah from lower Assam.
After the path-taking ceremony, the CM planted a ‘Bakul’ sapling at the venue to mark World Environment Day.
Sarma was sworn in as the chief minister along with four ministers on May 12.
The NDA won a record 102 seats in the 126-member assembly, including 82 from the BJP.
The BJP allies, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), bagged 10 seats each. PTI DG BDC DG NN
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