Guwahati: Assam governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya Saturday administered the oath of office and secrecy to four new ministers, inducting them into the council of ministers, headed by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The four new ministers, namely Prasanta Phukan, Kaushik Rai, Krishnendu Paul and Rupesh Goala, were sworn in in an austere ceremony held at the Srimanta Sankardeva International Auditorium in the presence of Sarma, cabinet colleagues, senior civil servants and distinguished guests from all walks of life.
Sarma later announced that he would reorganise the ministerial portfolios by Monday to incorporate the four newly inducted ministers.
This marked the second cabinet expansion by Sarma since 2021. The first expansion took place on June 9, 2022 when two BJP legislators — Nandita Garlosa and Jayanta Malla Baruah, joined the council of ministers, which now comprises 18 members including the chief minister.
While Phukan is a four-term MLA from Dibrugarh, Paul is representing Patharkandi for the second term, and Rai and Goala are serving their maiden terms as MLAs from Lakhipur and Doom Dooma respectively.
Phukan and Goala represent the Upper Assam tea districts of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia respectively, while Paul and Rai hail from the two Barak Valley districts of Sribhumi (formerly Karimganj) and Cachar.
Tea welfare and labour minister Sanjay Kishan, representing the Tinsukia constituency, tendered his resignation Thursday and has subsequently been appointed as the chairman of the Assam Food and Civil Supplies department.
Previously, Parimal Suklabaidya resigned from the cabinet following his election to the Lok Sabha from Silchar constituency.
Guwahati: Assam governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya Saturday administered the oath of office and secrecy to four new ministers, inducting them into the council of ministers, headed by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The four new ministers, namely Prasanta Phukan, Kaushik Rai, Krishnendu Paul and Rupesh Goala, were sworn in in an austere ceremony held at the Srimanta Sankardeva International Auditorium in the presence of Sarma, cabinet colleagues, senior civil servants and distinguished guests from all walks of life.
Sarma later announced that he would reorganise the ministerial portfolios by Monday to incorporate the four newly inducted ministers.
This marked the second cabinet expansion by Sarma since 2021. The first expansion took place on June 9, 2022 when two BJP legislators — Nandita Garlosa and Jayanta Malla Baruah, joined the council of ministers, which now comprises 18 members including the chief minister.
While Phukan is a four-term MLA from Dibrugarh, Paul is representing Patharkandi for the second term, and Rai and Goala are serving their maiden terms as MLAs from Lakhipur and Doom Dooma respectively.
Phukan and Goala represent the Upper Assam tea districts of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia respectively, while Paul and Rai hail from the two Barak Valley districts of Sribhumi (formerly Karimganj) and Cachar.
Tea welfare and labour minister Sanjay Kishan, representing the Tinsukia constituency, tendered his resignation Thursday and has subsequently been appointed as the chairman of the Assam Food and Civil Supplies department.
Previously, Parimal Suklabaidya resigned from the cabinet following his election to the Lok Sabha from Silchar constituency.