Hours after seven new ministers of Assam ministry took oath at Raj Bhawan here, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday evening allocated portfolios to his new ministers besides reallocating the portfolios of the existing ministers.
Senior BJP leader and East Guwahati legislator Siddhartha Bhattacharyya, who took oath as cabinet minister, has been appointed as Education Minster replacing Himanta Biswa Sarma. He has also been given the charge of GDD and Law and Justice departments.
Diphu legislator Sum Ronghang got the Hills Area Development as well as Mines and Mineral departments.
Senior Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leader Phani Bhushan Choudhury, who represents Bongaigaon LAC, has been allocated Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs and Pension & Public Grievances portfolios.
BPF’s Chandan Brahma, who served as Transport minister in the previous Congress government, got Tourism and WPT & BC departments.
Newly inducted Rangia legislator Bhabesh Kalita has been allocated Irrigation (Independent), Revenue and DM (to assist CM as MoS).
Former AASU leader and Sonari MLA Tapan Kr Gogoi, has been given Power (Independent) and PWD (to assist cabinet minister as MoS).
BJP MLA Pijush Hazarika, who represents Jagiroad LAC, got Urban Development excluding T& CP (Independent), Health and Family Welfare (to assist cabinet minister as MoS).
Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is considered as the most influential minister of the state cabinet after the Chief Minister, retains Finance, Planning and Development, Health & Family Welfare. Sarma lost Education but got another key portfolio —PWD, which was held by Parimal Suklabaidya.
AGP president Atul Bora retains Agriculture, Horticulture and Food Processing, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Urban Development and Town and Country Planning.
Pramila Rani Brahma has been allocated Social Welfare and Soil Conservation.
AGP’s Keshab Mahanta also retains Water Resources, Science and Technology and Information Technology. He has also been given the charge of Cultural Affairs.
Parimal Suklabaidya has been allocated the Environment and Forest and retains Fisheries and Excise as well. Suklabaidya, the lone face from Barak Valley in the Sonowal cabinet, however, lost PWD.
Ranjit Dutta retains Sericulture, Handloom and Textiles (excluding Khadi and Village Industry). Dutta has been allocated Welfare of Minorities as well.
Chandramohan Patowary retains Commerce and Industry, Transport and Parliamentary Affairs. He has also got Act East Policy Affairs, Skill, Entrepreneur & Employment.
Rihon Daimari retains Public Health Engineering and also got Cooperation.
Pallab Locan Das, who faced flak for electrocution deaths in the state, lost Power portfolio but retains Labour and Employment, Tea Tribes Welfare (as independent charges). He has also been assigned Education (to assist cabinet minister as MoS).
Chief Minister Sonowal has kept the significant Home & Political departments for himself besides GAD, SAD, Implementation of Assam Accord, Administrative Reform & Training, Election, I&PR, Border Area Development, Revenue and DM, Sports and Youth Welfare and any other department not allotted to other ministers.