West Bengal cabinet expands: 35 BJP MLAs sworn in as ministers under Adhikari
Synopsis
West Bengal's first BJP government moved to full strength on 1 June as 35 legislators were sworn in at Lok Bhavan — over three weeks after CM Suvendu Adhikari took office. With portfolios still unannounced and a cabinet meeting called for the same afternoon, the real test of the BJP's governing coalition in a TMC-dominated state is just beginning.
Key Takeaways
35 BJP MLAs were sworn in as ministers at Lok Bhavan, Kolkata on 1 June .
The cabinet now has 19 members including Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari .
13 new cabinet ministers, 3 ministers of state (independent charge), and 19 ministers of state were inducted.
Ravi administered the oath; Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal read out the names.
Portfolio allocations were pending as of the ceremony; a cabinet meeting at Nabanna at 3 pm was expected to finalise them.
This is the first cabinet expansion since Adhikari's initial oath-taking on 9 May .
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari oversaw a major cabinet expansion on Monday, 1 June, as 35 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators were sworn in as ministers at Lok Bhavan in Kolkata. The induction, conducted more than three weeks after the BJP's first-ever government in the state took office, brings the total number of cabinet members — including the Chief Minister — to 19.
Key Developments
The swearing-in ceremony began precisely at 11 am at Lok Bhavan, with Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal reading out the names of the newly inducted ministers. Governor R.N. Ravi administered the oath. Names were called in order: cabinet ministers first, followed by ministers of state (independent charge), and finally ministers of state.
Who Was Sworn In
Of the 35 new ministers, 13 were inducted as cabinet ministers: Deepak Barman, Tapas Roy, Dr Shankar Ghosh, Manoj Kumar Oraon, Arjun Singh, Gouri Shankar Ghosh, Swapan Dasgupta, Jagannath Chattopadhyay, Kalyan Chakraborty, Ajay Poddar, Dr Saradwat Mukherjee, Dudh Kumar Mondal, and Anup Kumar Das. Three BJP legislators — Indranil Khan, Malati Rava Roy, and Rajesh Mamahato — took oath as Ministers of State (independent charge). The remaining 19 were sworn in as Ministers of State: Joel Murmu, Hare Krishna Bera, Anandamay Barman, Ashok Dinda, Nadiar Chand Bauri, Vishal Lama, Shantanu Pramanik, Moumita Biswas Mishra, Umesh Ray, Purnima Chakravarty, Kaushik Chowdhury, Bhaskar Bhattacharya, Dibakar Gharami, Amiya Kisku, Kalita Majhi, Gargi Das Ghosh, Biraj Biswas, Dipankar Jana, and Sumana Sarkar.
Background: The First BJP Government in Bengal
Adhikari was sworn in as Chief Minister on 9 May, alongside five cabinet colleagues — Agnimitra Paul, Dilip Ghosh, Nisith Pramanik, Ashok Kirtaniya, and Khudiram Tudu. Monday's expansion is the first since that initial oath-taking and represents the BJP's first cabinet formation in a state long dominated by the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). The delay of over three weeks before the full expansion is not unusual; new governments typically take time to negotiate portfolios and balance regional, caste, and community representation.
What Happens Next
Portfolio allocations had not been announced as of the swearing-in ceremony. Following the oath, the new ministers were expected to proceed to the state secretariat at Nabanna, where a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Adhikari was convened at 3 pm. Portfolio distribution is expected to take place at that meeting. The composition of the expanded cabinet — spanning multiple communities and regions of West Bengal — will be closely watched as an indicator of the BJP's political calculus ahead of governing a complex, diverse state.
Point of View
But the harder work starts now. The BJP must govern a state with entrenched TMC networks in the bureaucracy and local bodies, and the choice of portfolios — still unannounced at the time of swearing-in — will signal whether the party prioritises ideological alignment or administrative competence. The three-week gap between the initial oath and this expansion suggests difficult internal negotiations over seat allocation. With no majority in the state's municipal and panchayat bodies, the Adhikari government will need its ministers to deliver visible results quickly to consolidate an unprecedented electoral breakthrough.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many ministers were sworn into the West Bengal cabinet on 1 June?
A total of 35 BJP MLAs were sworn in as ministers at Lok Bhavan in Kolkata on 1 June. They comprise 13 cabinet ministers, 3 ministers of state with independent charge, and 19 ministers of state.
What is the total strength of the West Bengal cabinet after the expansion?
The West Bengal cabinet now has 19 members including Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The six original cabinet members sworn in on 9 May were joined by 13 new cabinet ministers on 1 June.
When were portfolios expected to be distributed among the new West Bengal ministers?
Portfolio allocations had not been announced at the time of the swearing-in ceremony. A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Adhikari was convened at Nabanna at 3 pm on the same day, where portfolios were expected to be distributed.
Who administered the oath to the new West Bengal ministers?
Governor R.N. Ravi administered the oath of office to all 35 new ministers. Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal read out the names of the inductees during the ceremony, which began at 11 am.
Who were the original cabinet members of the Suvendu Adhikari government?
Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as Chief Minister on 9 May along with five cabinet colleagues: Agnimitra Paul, Dilip Ghosh, Nisith Pramanik, Ashok Kirtaniya, and Khudiram Tudu. The 1 June expansion is the first addition to that initial cabinet.
