Suvendu Adhikari Allocates Portfolios to Five Ministers in New Bengal Cabinet; Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul Among Ministers Assigned Key Roles

The newly formed BJP government in West Bengal on Monday announced the portfolio allocation for five cabinet ministers who were sworn in alongside Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari during the oath-taking ceremony at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The distribution of departments came shortly after the first cabinet meeting of the new government at Nabanna, where the administration unveiled a series of key policy decisions and signalled an aggressive start to governance following the BJP’s sweeping victory in the 2026 Assembly elections.

Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh, MLA from Kharagpur Sadar and former state BJP president, was entrusted with the Panchayat, Agricultural Marketing and Animal Resources Development departments. The ministries are expected to play a central role in the BJP government’s rural governance agenda, particularly in areas related to panchayat administration, agricultural supply chains and livestock development.

Agnimitra Paul, MLA from Asansol North and one of the prominent women faces of the party in Bengal, was given charge of the Women, Child and Social Welfare Department along with the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs portfolio. The departments are likely to remain politically significant for the BJP government, especially amid its focus on women-centric welfare initiatives, urban infrastructure and civic administration.

Former Union Minister and Mathabhanga MLA Nisith Pramanik was assigned the Sports and Youth Welfare Department as well as the North Bengal Development portfolio. The allocation is being viewed as strategically important given the BJP’s continued electoral strength in North Bengal, a region where the party has consistently performed strongly in recent elections.

Bongaon North MLA Ashok Kirtania was appointed Food and Supplies Minister and will oversee the state’s ration distribution network, food procurement and welfare-linked food schemes.

Meanwhile, Ranibandh MLA Khudiram Tudu was given responsibility for the Tribal Development Department, which is expected to focus on welfare programmes, educational initiatives and social development projects for tribal communities across the state.

All remaining departments will, for the time being, remain under the direct supervision of Chief Minister Adhikari. The first cabinet meeting, held at Nabanna on Monday afternoon, was attended by all five ministers along with Chief Secretary Dushmanta Nariala and senior administrative officials.

Following the meeting, Adhikari said the new government would pursue a model of “good governance and security” while aligning Bengal with the development approach followed in BJP-ruled states across the country. “Our government will move forward on the path of good governance and security. Bengal will also progress along the same path as other double-engine BJP governments in the country,” the Chief Minister said.

The cabinet also approved several early policy measures, including the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health scheme and the rollout of key central welfare programmes in the state. Suvendu Adhikari further announced that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) would now formally come into effect in West Bengal, alleging that the previous Trinamool Congress government had failed to implement the new criminal law framework.

The Chief Minister also assured that no existing state welfare schemes would be discontinued under the BJP government, though he said steps would be taken to identify ineligible beneficiaries. “We will, however, identify and remove those who are undeserving, like the dead and non-Indians, from receiving welfare support that is meant for the people of this country,” Adhikari stated.

The BJP secured a decisive mandate in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, winning 207 seats and ending the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule in the state. The TMC finished with 80 seats.